


Anything you can do I can do better

by flamerose



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Cute Connor, Dad Hank, Dates, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gavin has a douchebag ex, Gavin has cats and you can't change my mind about it haha, Gavin needs love, Insecure Gavin Reed, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifist Ending, Panic Attacks, Polyamory Relationship, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Upgraded Connor, Post Game, Protective Connor, Protective Upgraded Connor, Short Gavin Reed, kinda love at first sight, son connor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-06-23 06:07:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15599976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamerose/pseuds/flamerose
Summary: Gavin has received a new partner from CyberLife, the sucessor of Connor, and he is determined to change the detective's view on androids, but Connor thinks that he can do it as well, if not better.





	1. Chapter 1

Gavin entered the DPD with a cup of steaming black coffee when Fowler called him to his office. The detective grumbled and placed his bag at his seat before making his way up the stairs. On his way, Connor waved at him and gave him a friendly smile. 

"Good morning, Detective Reed!" He greeted him cheerfully. Gavin furrowed his eyebrows and pushed past him.

"Fuck off, plastic prick." He took a sip of his coffee- burning his tongue in the process- and took the steps up to the office. He took a seat in front of his boss and took a another sip of his coffee.

"Was there something you fucking need, Fowler? I have to do some paper work." Gavin grumbled as he crossed his legs. Fowler didn't look up from his computer as he continued to type. 

"It's captain to you, Reed." He growled out. Gavin rolled his eyes and took another sip of his coffee. "Anyway, there was a reason why I called you."

"And that is?" _Sip_. 

There was a knock on the door. "Ah, he's here, come in." Gavin turned around and he nearly choked on his coffee. "Fowler, what the actual fuck!" 

In came an android that looked exactly like Connor, but this one looked more serious and had a different outfit. He closed the door and stood behind Gavin with his hands behind his back. 

"Reed, this is RK900, the successor of Connor. Since the android rebellion, CyberLife has deactivated all their androids, except for this one. He might be the very last android from CyberLife." Gavin glowered at the android. 

"Okay, so why the fuck is that," he gestured up and down at RK900, "plastic piece of shit here?" 

"He is the only one and we have him, and since no one wants to partner with you, you can have him." Fowler leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. 

Gavin stood up and slammed his coffee cup on the table. "WHAT?!" Connor, who was walking outside Fowler's office, paused and looked at the office in concern. Was everything okay inside? 

Back inside, Gavin was sure he was about to not only strangle Fowler, but to also dismantle the stupidly tall android in the room. 

"Sit down, Reed, or I'm going to take your fucking badge!" Fowler yelled back at him and pointed at him. Gavin sank back in his chair and took a big gulp of his coffee. 

Fowler sighed. "As I was saying, RK900 here is going to be your partner, so I would like you and Connor to show him the ropes. Now get out of my fucking office." 

With that, Gavin grabbed his coffee and stormed out of the office. He made a beeline for his desk and slumped into his chair. He ran his hand through his already messy hair and grunted in frustration and anger. Why the fuck did Fowler think it was okay to make him have a fucking android partner?! He was perfectly fine on his own! He leaned back on his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Detective Reed, are you okay? You seem angry and stressed after your meeting with Captain Fowler." Gavin sighed and chugged the rest of his coffee. 

"Fuck off, you plastic prick." 

"You should really work on your manners, Detective." Connor turned around in surprise and Gavin groaned. 

"Detective Reed, why is there another android here?" Gavin turned around and stood up. He never felt shorter in his life until now. With the two androids, he's suddenly reminded about how short he is. 

"Plastic fucker number one, meet plastic fucker number two." He gestured to Connor, then to RK900. 

Connor's LED turned yellow and blinked. Who was this android and why did it look so much like him? 

"What is your name?" He asked. 

"My name is RK900, the last android issued by CyberLIfe." Connor blinked. Did he not have a registered name? 

"Fowler wants us both to show him the ropes and answer any fucking questions he has." Gavin leaned against his table and crossed his arms. "You guys just do that fucking connect thing while I get another cup of coffee." He was about to walk to the break room when a hand was placed on his shoulder. 

"You already had a cup of coffee, Detective. It's not healthy for a man of your age to consume that much caffeine." The new android said. Gavin shrugged his hand off roughly. 

"You're not my fucking mom, and I can drink as much caffeine as I want, so get off my fucking back." With that, he made his way to the break room and made himself another cup of black coffee. 

Today is going to be a long day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

For the rest of the day, the android sat at the desk across from Gavin and did his own thing quietly. In the meantime, Gavin manage to sneak glances at him. This new android looked exactly like Connor, but not. His jaw was tense and his eyebrows always seemed to be furrowed. Unlike Connor, who had big brown eyes that were always warm, RK900's eyes were grey and his gaze was steely. 

"May I ask what you are looking at, Detective Reed?" The android looked up and met his eyes with a cocked eyebrow. Gavin felt a flush creeping up his neck before looking back down at his work. 

"You really look like the other plastic prick here, don'cha?" He said while typing a report. 

"I would appreciate it if you didn't call my predecessor that, Detective Reed." RK900 replied back, gaze unwavering. Gavin gritted his teeth and decided not to answer. There was silence again save for the tapping of Gavin's keyboard. 

"Do you know why RK800 keeps glancing at us?" Gavin looked up briefly before looking back at his papers with a small humourless smile. 

"He's probably afraid that you'll replace him or something, I mean, he's been at the DPD for almost six months now, so he's probably not used to having another android here." RK900 tilted his head and looked at Connor, who didn't look up. 

"Is my predecessor a deviant?". 

"Yeah, heard that he became a deviant while at Jericho or something." He paused for a moment. "Are you a deviant?" 

"I am." The android confirmed. Gavin nodded. 

"Are you on good terms with RK800?" Gavin puffed out his cheeks and let out the air. 

"We're on neutral terms, I don't really like him, but we don't get in each other's way, so I guess we're good." He shrugged. "Why are you asking me so many questions?" 

"I access information given to me, so I can decide how to engage or respond to different situations and people." 

Gavin bit his bottom lip. "You also function like him." 

"All RK models have the same functions. As I am a newer model, I can access this kind of information faster." RK900's tone didn't change as he spoke. 

"No wonder he's afraid of you replacing him." Gavin snorted a bit. 

RK900 didn't reply, and the two continued to work in silence. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Gavin stretched as he stood up. He finally finished his paperwork and he could hand it in to the Captain. He gathered his things and was about to leave when he thought of something. 

"Hey, do you have a place to stay?" RK900 looked up from the computer. 

"I do, an apartment on Evelyn Avenue." Gavin's eyebrows raised slightly. "Is that surprising for you, Detective?" 

"Nah, just fucking forgot androids can do that and stuff, with the new laws." The detective started to feel a bit uncomfortable. "I'm gonna go now." 

He got his bag and coat, and made his way to his car outside. He quickly shut the door and took a deep breath. 

"Jesus fuck, calm down." He grunted out. He shook his head and started up his car. 

He survived the first day with his new android partner.


	2. Chapter 2

Connor was doing his work, but he couldn't focus. 

There was a new android at the police station, and he looked exactly like him. 

He didn't know how he felt about him, emotions were still a new concept to him. Was this what the humans called jealousy?

"Hey, Connor, whatcha thinking about?" Hank asked, pausing from his paperwork to look at his partner

"It's nothing, Lieutenant." Connor gave a small smile and shot a look at the detective and the new android before going back to typing out a report. Hank followed his gaze to the two.

"Can't believe that Reed finally has a partner, and he's android." He snorted. Connor bit his bottom lip. "Maybe he'll change the asshole's attitude, and maybe his view on androids." 

"Yes..." Connor stopped typing again. The idea of RK900 being the one to change the Detective's view on androids didn't settle right with him. 

Hank studied his partner and noticed that his LED was yellow and blinking. "Are you worried about the new android, Connor?" 

"I am not really worried about RK900, Lieutenant," Connor commented quietly, "He is an advanced RK model, after all. I just thought that... I could've been the one to change his mind." He twiddled his thumbs. 

"Connor, if there's one thing I know about Reed, is that he's a stubborn asshole, so you being able to make him less hostile towards androids and most people here is pretty fucking amazing." Connor's LED turned into a soft blue and he gave Hank a genuine smile. 

"Thank you very much, Hank." Hank gave him a half-smile and returned to his paperwork. Connor looked at Gavin and RK900 to see that they had stopped talking. He tapped his fingers on his desk before returning to his work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Gavin opened the door of his apartment and kicked his shoes off. He put it on the shoe rack and threw his keys on the drawer next to him. 

"Mrowr," A dark brown munchkin and a siamese came out of his bedroom and rubbed themselves against his legs. 

"Hey guys," Gavin smiled and rubbed their ears. "I bet you guys are fucking starving." He walked to his kitchen and grabbed two cat good cans. His cats meowed louder and pawed at his legs. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm almost done." He opened the cans and placed them near the cats. The cats immediately went to the cans and scarfed down the food. The detective smiled fondly at them and went to the fridge to get a Tupperware box filled with leftover spaghetti and put it in the microwave to reheat. 

He got his phone out and began to check his social media and texts. There were a few texts in the college group chat suggesting that they meet up for dinner. 

'Maybe I should go out for old times' sake,' He thought as he continued to look though this texts. The microwave beeped and he put on an oven mitt to get his food out. He grabbed a fork and settled on his couch. He shoved a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth and turned on his TV. 

His cats jumped onto the couch and sniffed his spaghetti. Gavin chuckled. "How are you two still hungry?" He asked them while offering them both a noodle each. 

The cats licked their lips and settled themselves next to Gavin. He smiled and continued to eat his dinner. 

As he ate, a certain face kept creeping at the back of his mind. He was still a bit mad that Fowler had given him an android as a partner. Why did Fowler think that it was okay to give him a partner without asking him first? He huffed angrily and shoved another forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. His siamese meowed and pawed his face. 

"I'm fine, Oreo." He gave her a head rub as she purred. He finished the rest of his food and went to clean the Tupperware box in the sink with his cats following him. After he finished, he took a nice hot shower and settled into his comfy bed with his cats curled up at his feet. 

Tomorrow is another day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

RK900 studied the detective as he worked. He had searched him up when Fowler announced that he would be partnered with detective. 

Gavin Michael Reed. Born on October 7th, 2002, age 36 as of now. 5.9ft. 176 lbs. Graduated from the Detroit Police Academy in 2026. Became the detective of the DPD since 2033. 

Fowler had warned him that he would be quite difficult to work with, and that he didn't really like androids, so he had to be as patient as he can. He agreed to work with him, and met the detective for the first time. 

It was quite funny to see the detective's shocked expression when he went through the door. He had choked on his coffee and yelled at the captain for a bit before Fowler had threatened to take his badge away. He continued to sulk like a child and stomped off to his desk with his coffee. The captain sighed and wished him luck, and shooed him out of his office. 

RK900 made his way to the detective's desk, and saw another android that looked him go up and talk to him. That must be his predecessor, he thought. He made it to his table just in time to hear the detective curse and call his predecessor a "plastic prick". 

"You should really work on your manners, Detective." He said as put his hands behind his back. Gavin groaned and his predecessor turned around in surprised. RK900's LED blinked yellow as he processed the other android. 

Connor RK800 #313 248 317 - 51. Released by CyberLife in August 2038. 

He introduced himself and his predecessor- RK800- looked a bit confused. The detective, who had been watching them, announced that he was going to get another cup of coffee. RK900 immediately followed him and placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder. 

When he warned him about his caffeine intake, the short male shrugged him off and told hm to "fuck off" as the detective kindly put it. He watched as he stormed to the break room. His LED flickered yellow. 

"Don't worry about him, RK900, Detective Reed is probably still coping with having an android as a partner. He's known to not particularly like androids, but he's been growing less hostile." RK800 reassured him. His LED flickered longer before returning to a soft blue. 

"I see, I hope he will come to respect me and change his views as our partnership continues." He noticed that RK800 seemed to frown a bit. "Is there something wrong?" 

Connor looked up and gave him a smile, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes. "I'm fine, and I'm... certain you will succeed." 

RK900 nodded and the older model told him how things worked around the DPD and left him to his own devices. He was halfway through analysing the files when the detective came back with another cup of black coffee. He quirked his eyebrow at it but didn't say anything. 

The two worked in comfortable silence, and the android took in the detective's features. His dark brown hair was messy and there were slight bags under his grey eyes. His face looked worn and there was a bit of stubble around his jaw. He noticed that there were cat hairs on his jacket. 

May be a cat owner, he thought. 

He had caught the detective sneaking glances at him too, and when he confronted him about it, the detective's body heat level rose 20%. The two had a short conversation after that. At one point, he asked Gavin why RK800 kept glancing at them, he mentioned that perhaps the older model was afraid of RK900 replacing him. 

He tilted his head. That was quite an irrational and human fear. He asked if RK800 was a deviant, and Gavin said he was, and the android confirmed that he was also a deviant when the detective asked. 

The conversation went on, and when RK900 mentioned that since he was a newer model, his functions were more advanced, Gavin snorted and said, "No wonder he's afraid of you replacing him." 

RK900 didn't reply. It was natural for his predecessor to be afraid that he would be replaced, after all, he was created to take over RK800 due to his mistakes, but he never thought of replacing RK800. 

When the day ended, RK900 was almost finished with analysing all of the DPD's files. He looked up when Gavin asked him if he had somewhere to stay. He told him about his apartment The detective's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. 

When the detective admitted had forgotten about the new laws, his heart rate increased by 10%. Was he nervous about something? 

He watched as Gavin made his way to his car and drove off with mild interest. This was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam, second chapter on the next day heheh. I have completely accepted the fact that Gavin owns cats and you can't change my mind. So now, we have a jealous Connor, a mildly frustrated Gavin, and a starting-to-fall-in-love RK900, funnnnn :) That's it for now, beauties, I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	3. Chapter 3

Gavin came in the next day with darker bags and a slouched posture. Last night, his neighbours threw a party that didn’t end until three in the morning, and because of that he woke up late and didn’t have time to grab a coffee, so right now he was groggy and in desperate need of caffeine. 

He went over to his desk and leaned back on his chair. He placed an arm over his eyes when he looked at the ceiling lights. Why the fuck were the lights extra bright today? 

“Good morning, Detective Reed.” He nearly jumped and sat up straight. Across from him was his new android partner. He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Fuck, I forgot you’re here now.” He stifled a yawn and grabbed the stack of paperwork to his right. “You do whatever the fuck you were doing, while I give these to Fowler.” 

He stood up, stretched, and grabbed the stack of paperwork and made his way to the office. 

“Wow Reed, you look like shit.” Aaron said as he passed by his desk. “The fuck happened to you?”

“Stupid motherfucking college kids were throwing a party until three AM. I was so close to shooting them.” He grumbled. 

Aaron chuckled and went back to typing something. Gavin continued his way to the captain’s office and knocked on the door. 

A gruff “Come in” was heard and he opened the door. The captain glanced up briefly before looking back at the papers in front of him. 

“What is it, Reed?” He sounded irritated. The detective waved the stack of paper in his hand. 

“More *yawn* paperwork. ‘S on the burglary last Thursday.” 

Fowler grunted. “Place it on the stack over there.” Gavin did what he was told and turned to the door. 

He was about to turn the door knob when the captain called out. “How you doin’ with the android, Reed? I hope you didn’t break it yet.” Gavin turned around and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. 

“Plastic fucker hasn’t done or asked anything stupid yet, so I guess we’re good?” He shrugged. 

“Good, I have a case for the both of you.” 

Gavin quirked his eyebrow and had a “Are you fucking with me?” look on his face. 

“It’s on a minor bombing at the subway.” Fowler handed him a file. “No suspects have been caught yet, but there were casualties.” 

Gavin flipped through it. “You better not fuck this up, Reed.” The detective scoffed. “Now get out of my office.” 

He mock saluted and made his way back to his desk. Upon arriving, he saw that there was a cup of steaming black coffee in front of the keyboard. 

“What the-“ “I noticed that you were a bit late, and you didn’t have a cup of coffee with you, so I took the liberty and made you a cup.” RK900 told him. Gavin was speechless, but he quickly recovered his posture.

“Thanks, I guess. Anyway, we have a case.” He threw the file in his hand at the android, who caught it before it hit his face. “Minor bombing for something.” 

He took a few sips as the android looked through the file. He looked at RK900 over the rim of his cup. “Think you can handle it, plastic?” 

The corner of his lip quirked a bit when he saw the android frown a bit. “I was built to handle cases like these, Detective.” His lip quirked up a bit. “Though, I can’t say the same for you, Detective Reed.” 

Gavin put his cup down with a large “clack” and glared daggers at the android. “Let me tell you this, plastic prick, I have been a detective for six fucking years, so I am more than capable. You were released almost, what, two weeks ago? So you better not be so smug, asshole.” 

RK900 hummed. “We’ll see.” Gavin wanted to punch him in the fucking face.

Gavin poured the rest of his coffee in the water bottle by his desk and stood up. “Come on plastic fucker, we’re going to the crime scene.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car ride to the crime scene was silent and a bit awkward. The android was quiet and sat completely still beside Gavin. 

He had quirked an eyebrow when the detective turned on the radio and “Can I Get A Witness” by Sonreal came on. Gavin scowled and grumbled a “Stop judging my taste in music.” 

When they finally arrived at the crime scene, Gavin frowned at the sight of the car with a large white “FBI” on the side. 

“Can't believe the fucking FBI is here." He groaned and leaned against his car. RK900 went to stand next to him and tilted his head. 

"Do you have a problem with the FBI, Detective Reed?" Gavin grunted. 

"Had some bad encounters with them." He made his way to Chris, who was talking with an officer from the Hazardous Material Unit in a white hazmat suit. 

"Hey Miller," Gavin called out as he lifted the police tape and went under it. RK900 followed him and did the same. 

Chris finished his conversation with the other officer and greeted the detective. He looked at the android with mild surprise. 

"You got an android partner like Anderson, eh Reed?" He asked in a teasing voice as he handed him a white hazmat suit. Gavin grunted as he took the suit and started to dress himself. Chris chuckled and looked at RK900. 

"I don't know if you need a suit," Chris shifted his weight and crossed his arms. 

"I have systems that discharges toxins from my body, so I have no need for a hazmat suit." He told him as he placed his hands behind his back. Chris whistled. 

"Looks like Connor _and_ sounds like him, dang." He told Gavin, who was zipping up his suit. 

Gavin finished and grabbed a mask. "'Kay, let's fucking go." Chris gestured for them to follow him and they went to the entrance of the subway. Gavin put on his mask as Chris gestured inside. "The last cart." The two nodded and made their way inside. 

"There are large amounts of toxins in here, specifically chlorine, a high concentration could be fatal within a few minutes of exposure.” RK900 commented, looking around the station. Gavin made a sound of approval. 

“Maybe it’s handy having you around, you’re like a walking encyclopaedia.” RK900 looked at him in his peripheral vision. 

“I am a computer, Detective Reed.” Gavin snorted. 

“No shit, Sherlock.” RK900 felt his lips quirk up to a smirk. 

Finally, they arrived at the last cart and stepped in. Dead bodies slumped around with foam coming out of their mouths greeted them. 

“You weren’t tucking wrong about what happens to the victims.” Gavin nearly gagged at one corpse that looked directly at him. 

RK900 walked around the cart and examined the bodies. Gavin counted the bodies in his head mentally and frowned. There were a total of eight bodies, three males and five females. 

He noticed a backpack lying on one of the poles and went over to investigate. He gingerly opened the flap of the backpack and found a CD and a slightly damaged spray paint can inside. 

“Hey, plastic, come check this out.” He called out to the android. 

“That is not my name, Detective Reed.” RK900 said in a bored tone. 

“I’ll call you whatever I fucking want, plastic.” Gavin retorted. 

“Then, I might as well save you as ‘Detective Asshole’ in my face recognition then.” Gavin looked up agast at the androd’s smug face. 

He never wanted to punch someone or something that badly until now. He gritted his teeth and looked back at the bag. “Just fucking come here.” 

He heard the sound of heels clacking and saw the android crouch next to him. 

“So what did you find, Detective Asshole?” Gavin could practically hear the smirk in his voice. 

"Don't you fucking call me that." He grunted. He clenched his fists as he continued. "Anyway, there's a CD and a spray paint bottle in this backpack. Can you scan for fingerprints or something?" 

The android's LED whirred yellow as he looked at the evidence. "There's no fingerprints on either of the evidence." 

The detective smacked his lips. "Could be an android or a human with gloves." He mused. "This doesn't really fucking help. Is the stuff in the can the same as the toxins that caused the death of the victims?" 

"Yes." RK900 confirmed. 

The detective sighed. "All we can do now is to see what's in the CD." He turned to the android. "Notice anything strange on the victims?" 

"Not really, I checked all the bags and nothing seemed to be out of place. Also, there was nothing in common with the victims." 

Gavin stood up and stretched. "Well, let's bring the CD back to the station and see what's inside." RK900 nodded and plucked the CD and can out of the bag. He then put it in a plastic bag and handed it to the detective. 

The two made their way out of the station, handed the evidence to Chris, and went back to the DPD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda inspired by a new TV show I've been watching called Instinct :3 It's really good, and I totally recommend watching it! Also, "can I get a witness" is best know for it's "I am a man" meme lol. Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Remember to comment, 'cause I like to see what I can improve on :) That's it for now, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	4. Chapter 4

Gavin was staring at the report in front of him. They had just finished interviewing the androids that managed to not get infected by the sarin. They all had seen a figure in a hoodie drop the backpack near the pole, but none of them managed to see any defining features on the suspect. 

He huffed. This was going to be harder than he thought. 

There was a clacking of heels and the detective looked up and frowned at the face of his android partner. 

"What the fuck do you want, prick?" RK900 looked unimpressed.

"That is not my name, Detective." 

The detective rolled his eyes irritatedly. "Whatever, what the fuck do you want?" 

"They managed to unlock the phones of the victims. One of the victims was texting someone and agreed with them to meet at some place. We managed to contact them and they are going to arrive in approximately 14 minutes." RK900 told him. Gavin nodded. 

"And the CD?" 

"It was only a documentary of the history of the park. Nothing special."

Gavin groaned and took a large gulp of his black coffee. "This is gonna be fucking hard." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two were sat across (well Gavin was sitting, while the android was standing up) a sniffling young blonde. They had given her a glass of water, which she took gratefully.

"I-I just... don't know how to f-feel," She stammered, wiping her tears with a tissue. "I-I feel like it's my fault he's dead."

The detective bit his lip and glanced at her hands. He frowned. "You don't have a ring."

The blonde glanced up with a tear-striken face. "E-excuse me?"

"We found your contact in the phone of Tom Elias. We went through your texts, and you two are-were- quite intimate." Gavin watched as the woman's face flushed pink. "According to our files, Mr. Elias is married. He had a ring on, but you don't." The blonde looked down. "Even if you were his wife, it doesn't explain why you didn't immediately contact the police." 

There was a pregnant pause in the interrogation room. 

"... I’m not his wife, I’m his mistress ." The detective nodded and motioned for the android to mark that down. 

"Anyway ma'am, can you tell what happened that day?" He asked gently. 

"W-we were about to g-go to a coffee shop, and someone knocked my stuff over, I-I tried to call him to wait f-for me, but he was too far away and by he t-tried to stop the door for me. I c-c-couldn't make it so he t-texted me to meet up there." She took a shaky breath. "That's the l-last I've heard from h-him." 

Gavin handed her a tissue. She took it with a small "Thank you" and wiped her tears. He then took out a picture of the hooded figure they got from the androids' memory. "Do you recognise this person?" The woman's eyes widened.

"That's the man that knocked my stuff over!" Gavin placed the picture in front of the woman.

"Did you notice any suspicious behaviour?" The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.

"He went in the cart Tom went into, and then hopped off the cart and blended into the crowd." The detective leaned in.

"Did you notice any features on the man?"

"I think... he had a leaf tattoo on his arm, like a marijuana leaf?"

Gavin sat up straight and looked at the one-way glass. "Thank you for coming here, ma'am." He escorted her out with the android following him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RK900 went over their interrogation with Tom Elias' mistress. 

A man with a tattoo of a marijuana leaf. No fingerprints on the evidence. Most likely a human. 

He glanced up at Gavin, who was engrossed with his own work. He had to admit, he was quite impressed with the detective's performance during the interrogation. He was professional and calm, much different from the hot-headed and foul-mouthed detective he was used to.

Gavin glanced up briefly and grunted. "Whatcha looking at, plastic?" 

RK900 felt his lips quirk up to a small smile. "Nothing, Detective Asshole." He watched as the detective clenched his fist with a wider smile. 

He was about to respond when they were called to Fowler's office. The detective groaned and stood up. He grunted when he heard something pop and made his way to the office. 

RK900 closed the door after he went in and stood next to the detective, who crossed his arms. "The fuck do you want, Fowler?"

"Since this has been labelled as a terrorist attack, the FBI is going to take over." He grunted out. 

"WHAT?!" Gavin yelled out. RK900 felt slight irritation as his LED blinked yellow. 

"We were doing just fine! We can handle this!" Gavin's stress had increased by 25%. RK900 glanced at him in mild concern. 

"Well, the case has been given to the FBI and I can't change that, Reed." Fowler told him angrily. He sighed and handed them a file. "Here's your new case on a bombing in the park, by the carousel. Now get your ass out of my office." The detective took it with a grunt and went out of the office. 

He slumped down in his seat and started looking through the file. His android partner looked over his shoulder and scanned the file. 

"We better fucking get going." Gavin ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his car keys. The two made their way into the car and drove off to the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah, next chapter! I just finished a summer course and I'm so tired helllppp. I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a bit uneventful, I don't really know how to write this, but I'll make sure the next chapter will be good :) That's it for now, don't forget to comment, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	5. Chapter 5

Upon arriving at the park, Gavin and RK900 were greeted with frantic citizens and police cars. Gavin scanned the crowd until he saw Tina. 

“Hey Chen!” He called as he made his way to the officer. Said officer looked up from her tablet and raised a brow at the android trailing behind the detective. 

“So you got a plastic pet, too?” She asked him with a smirk when he stopped in front of her. Gavin glanced at RK900 and shrugged. 

“As long as he doesn’t do anything fucking stupid, then he’s good for now.” He told her. The android pursed his lips briefly before returning his face back to expressionless. 

“So, the fuck happened here?” 

“A horse on the carousel fucking exploded, only one person got hurt with mild injuries.” She pointed at a paramedic treating a wounded man. 

Gavin nodded and turned to look at the android. “You go check the carousel for clues while I go interrogate the victims and witnesses, don’t do anything fucking stupid while I’m gone.” 

RK900 nodded and made his way to the carousel. Tina chuckled. “You’re starting to sound like Anderson with his plastic pet.” 

Gavin scowled. “Fuck no, I’m not a drunkard with a beard.” 

“Whatever you say, Reed.” Gavin grunted and went over to the man after saying a curt goodbye to Tina. 

He waved the paramedic off and looked at the man. Standing next to him were two female bikers. 

“I’m Detective Reed from the DPD, I’m gonna ask you guys a few questions. I’m gonna have to record our entire conversion, it’s part of the procedure. I am also asking you to be entirely honest with me, if you don’t know or can’t remember something, don’t make something up. That okay with you?”

The three nodded as the detective turned on his recording device. 

"So, can you tell me what happened?" He asked the women. 

"We were cycling down over there, then we heard a loud 'boom', and when we turned around, we saw that one of the horses on the carousel was on fire and a crowd of people screaming." Gavin nodded and looked down at the man. 

"What is your name, sir?" 

"Cory Dylan." 

"How did you get your injury, Mr. Dylan?" The man sucked his teeth and touched his injury gingerly. 

"I was... walking back from the garage I work at, and while I was passing by the carousel, it just exploded, and one of the pieces hit me on the forehead." Gavin nodded and noticed RK900 coming back. 

"Anything else you would like to add before we conclude our interrogation?" Gavin asked. One of the women nodded and took out a shoe. 

"I passed this, I don't know if it belonged to the bomber, or some kid dropped it, but I thought I grabbed it just in case." Gavin thanked her and gestured for the android to put it in a plastic bag. 

"Thank you all for your time, you can all go." Gavin turned off the recording advice. The three left and the detective turned to his partner. 

"Did you find anything, Robocop?" RK900 cocked an eyebrow. 

"There was nothing much on the wooden horses, but I found a piece of paper in a hole in one of the saddles." RK900 reported as he took said piece of paper out of his jacket's pocket. 

"What's written in it?" 

"Nothing, just a picture of a leaf." He unfolded the piece of paper and showed the detective. Gavin looked at the piece of paper and huffed. 

"Something else is going on. Is it really a terrorist attack, or is this something bigger...?" Gavin ran a hand through his hair. 

"Well, well, well, look who's here?" The detective froze. RK900 noticed that Gavin's stress levels had increased by 37% and his heart rate by 34%. His LED began to whirr yellow. 

Gavin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "C'mon, let's go." He stuffed the recording device in his pocket and tried to walk, but he was blocked by a tall man. 

"Hey, sweet cheeks, how've you been?" The man smirked. Gavin refused to look up. 

"Go away, Dave, I'm doing my job." Dave chuckled and slung an arm over the detective's shoulders. 

"Come on, you can spare time for one lunch together, can't you?" Gavin was about to decline when someone pulled him back. He glanced up and saw his android partner with a pissed off look on his face. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that his LED was blinking yellow and red. 

"I apologise, but Detective Reed has to continue his duties, and he has no time for lunch right now." RK900 said coldly. He noted that the detective's heart rate and distress had decreased. 

Dave scoffed and sneered at Gavin. "So, you replaced me with a fucking piece of plastic? Are you that fucking desperate?" He reached a hand out to grab Gavin but was stopped by the android gripping his arm tightly halfway. 

"I suggest that you do not touch my partner, or else I'll be forced to apprehend you." His LED was almost all red. 

As soon as he loosened his grip, Dave snatched his hand back and glared at the detective. He leaned in close and Gavin felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. 

"Remember this, _Gavin_ , no one will love you like me _ever_ again, you hear me? _Never._ " He hissed to him. Gavin's breathing increased. 

The android stepped up and glared down at the man. "Please leave. Now." Dave looked up at RK900 with disgust and looked back at Gavin before leaving. 

RK900's LED continued to blink yellow and red before returning back to yellow. When he looked back at the detective, there was a horrible sinking feeling in him. Gavin was hugging himself and his breathing and heart rate were erratic. 

_Distress increased to 60%._

"Detective Reed, are you alright?" He asked him gently. He placed a hand on the detective's shoulder and he jumped. He looked up and the android noticed that there were tears gathering in his eyes. 

"Detective, I-" 

"I-I gotta go, tell Fowler th-that I'm not feeling well, so I'll be l-leaving early." He stuttered out. With that, he handed RK900 the recording device with shaky hands and scurried to his car. 

RK900 watched as he made his way into his car and drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't really have a good ending, but we finally got to see Gavin's douchebag of an ex. This chapter was kinda short, but RK is starting to get protective over Gavin :3 Mwehehehe. Anyway, that's it for now, don't forget to comment, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Gavin made it back to his apartment, he locked the door and slid down with his face in his hands. Tears began sliding down his face as silent sobs racked his body. Seeing _him_ again made unwanted memories resurface in his head. 

_"Look at you, you fucking screwup! You can't do anything right!" Gavin choked on a sob when Dave pulled his hair harder. His panic rose when he felt Dave's breath on his ear. "I'm the only one that can stand your bullshit, I'm the only one who cares about your sorry ass." The shorter male felt more tears slid down his cheeks. "You're so fucking pathetic." Dave threw him on the floor and pressed a foot on his back. "You're so goddamn useless." He screamed as a kick landed on his shoulder--_

He broke out of his reverie when he heard two "meows". He looked down and saw his two cats looking up at him. He opened his arms and they jumped into his embrace, and licked and pawed his face. He gave a hoarse chuckle. 

"Thanks guys." He nuzzled his face into their heads and stayed there until he felt himself calm down. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RK900 stood there, replaying the situation in his head. The detective had a history with this Dave, and seeing him triggered a panic attack from him. 

"Hey, where did Reed go?" Tina asked him as she jogged over to him. 

"Detective Reed seemed to have a panic attack and asked me to tell Captain Fowler that he would be leaving early." He told her. Tina tilted her head and furrowed her brows..

"The fuck are you talking--" Realisation dawned in her eyes, "Oh."

RK900's LED continued to blink yellow. "Can you tell me what is wrong with Detective Reed?" 

Tina bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms. "I don't think I should tell you stuff Gavin's personal life..." 

"Officer Chen, I believe I should know so that I can help Detective Reed." 

Tina tapped her fingers against her arm and shifted her weight. She sighed. "I'm only telling you 'cause I care about him, and I don't want him to fucking suffer. Promise me to not tell anyone, especially Gavin." 

RK900 nodded. Tina gestured for him to follow her to a more secluded area so that people won't hear them.

"Okay, here's what I know..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RK900 felt something flare inside him after Officer Chen told him everything she knew. 

_Detective Reed was in an abusive relationship._

That explained his behaviour when he encountered Dave. The android immediately searched the man up.

_Dave Lewis. Age 37. Unemployed. Has records of animal abuse and theft._

He gripped his fists as he made his way to a bus stop. How long had Gavin been in a relationship with that man before he finally cut his ties with him? How long had he been subjected to abuse? 

He stepped onto a bus and took a seat near the back as his LED blinked yellow with a hint of red. A new objective appeared on his list. 

_Protect Detective Reed from Dave Lewis at all costs._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he arrived at the DPD, he made his way to the captain's office. He knocked on the door and waited until he heard a gruff "Come in". He went in and stood in front of Fowler, who was checking out paperwork. 

"What do you need?"

"Detective Reed requested to leave early because he wasn't feeling well." He told Fowler. He grunted. 

"Okay, make sure he hands me a sick leave paper tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

With that, he left the office and made a beeline for his desk. He took the recording device out of his pocket and began to listen the interrogation. After listening to it, he put it down and began to think. 

There were already two bombings in two days. Was this a terrorist attack, or an anti-android act?

"RK900, where's Detective Reed?" He looked up and saw the concerned face of his predecessor. Why did he need to know the whereabouts of his partner? RK900 felt an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness flare in him. 

"Detective Reed was not feeling well, so he left early." Connor's LED whirred blue and yellow. 

"I see, I hope he'll get well soon." RK900 nodded curtly. 

"I hope so, too, after all, he's _my_ partner." Connor noticed that he put a bit of empathise on the word "my". He placed his hands behind his back and dug his fingers a bit into his palms.

"So, have you been faring with the detective? I hope he wasn't too rude towards you." RK900 shook his head. 

"He has been quite civil so far, and he proved to be quite professional despite his attitude." 

"I see. I better continue with my work, see you later RK900." He gave the newer model a small yet tight smile before walking back to his desk. RK900's LED blinked yellow and he returned back to his work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Gavin finally stood up after sitting by the door for nearly half an hour. The cats weaved through his legs and purred. He smiled at them and made his way his bathroom. He stripped down and walked into the shower. He sighed when he felt hot water cascade down his body. A nice hot shower always felt nice after an attack. 

After he dried himself, he put on a fresh pair of pyjamas and flopped onto his soft bed. His cats jumped onto the bed and settled next to his face. They licked his face, which caused Gavin to chuckle and rub their heads. 

"I love you guys so much." He said. His cats meowed in response, as if to say "We know, we love you too." 

There was a 'ding' from his bedside table. He leaned over to grab his phone and saw that he had two messages, both from Tina. 

_**Tina: u okay? ur plastic pet told me u left cuz you saw HIM.**_

_**Tina: next time I see him I'll beat him up for you >:) **_

Gavin smiled. There weren't a lot of people that could tolerate his bullshit and vice versa, but Tina was one of the few people that could deal with him, the others being Chris and Anderson. 

_**You: nah im fine, took a shower and plan on eating some food.**_

_**Tina: k, remember to drink lots of water, I'll see u tmr. gn :3**_

_**You: k, gn :)**_

He put away his phone and got up and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a TV dinner and popped it in the oven. When it finished heating up, he grabbed up and sat cross-legged on his couch. 

He gobbled it up quickly and threw it in the garbage can next to the sink. After he brushed his teeth, he went to bed and got into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, RK900 is beginning to be more protective of our lovely detective :3 I'm sorry I made Gavin suffer, but it was needed for the plot :') Hopefully, there will be more action with our love triangle next chapter. Anyway, that's it for now, don't forget to comment, and I'll you next time, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	7. Chapter 7

Connor tapped his finger anxiously when he saw that RK900 returned alone. Where was the detective? Why wasn't he with him?

Curiosity and anxiousness got the better of him and he went over to the newer model. He learnt that the detective wasn't feeling well, so he decided to leave early, but Connor felt like there was something RK900 wasn't telling him. 

As they continued their conversation, he noticed that there was a shift of behaviour from the other android. He put his hands behind his back and dug his fingers into his palms. There was something in him that made him unhappy about RK900's behaviour.

He bid his goodbye, and returned back to his desk. 

"Why did you going over there, Connor?" The android looked up to the voice of his partner. 

"I was just asking RK900 the whereabouts of the detective." Hank looked over at RK900's desk.

"Huh, where is the asshole?" He asked. Connor bit his bottom lip.

"He said that Detective Reed was not feeling well during their investigation, so he decided to leave early." Hank grunted and returned to his work. 

Connor took one more glance at the newer android before making a new objective in his head. 

_Discover the actual reason of the detective leaving early._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day greeted Gavin with a gloomy sky. He looked out the window and huffed. It might rain during their investigation or after work ends, so he needed to bring an umbrella just in case. 

He slipped out of bed and saw that he had woken up half an hour earlier than usual. 'Guess that means I have more time for breakfast.' he thought as he shuffled into his bathroom. 

He went up to the mirror and sighed at the sight of his tired face. He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face and went back to change into a comfortable hoodie and a pair loose jeans. He grabbed his jacket off his chair and went to prepare breakfast which consisted of oatmeal with blueberries. 

The detective settled onto his coach and dug into his breakfast. 

"Mwor." His cats pawed his legs. He put the bowl of oatmeal on the coffee table in front of him and went over to grab two cat food cans from a shelf. 

'Hm, I'm almost out, I'll need to buy more after work,' He thought as he set them on the floor and grabbed his phone to make a reminder. 

He finished his breakfast and watched the news for a bit before it was time for him to go. He gave his cats some head rubs and grabbed his keys and phones and went to his car.

Luckily there wasn't much traffic at the main road, so that put him in a rather good mood. He parked near the police station and made his way to the entrance. 

"Hey, Reed." He turned around to see Tina with a smile. He grinned back. "How you feeling?"

"Better after more than 6 hours of sleep." She gave a side hug which he returned.

"That's good to know, you know I'd totally kick his ass for you, right?" Gavin chuckled. 

"I know you would, thanks Chen." She gave him a pat on his back and let go. 

"You're welcome, see you later, Reed." She gave him a little wave and went inside. 

He chuckled fondly under his breath and followed her inside. At his desk, he discovered a cup of black coffee. 

"It's for you, Detective Reed, I hope you're feeling better after what happened yesterday." RK900 told him from the other side of the desk. He felt a blush creeping up his neck and sat down. 

"Thanks, 'm sorry for leaving early yesterday." He mumbled as he grabbed the cup. He took a small sip and hummed. It tasted like how he liked it.

"Captain Fowler reminded me to tell you to give him a sick leave paper." The android told him. Gavin nodded and began typing out the paper. 

"So, did you find anything from the recording and evidence?" He asked his partner as he took another sip from his coffee.

"Not really, it doesn't feel like an anti-android act or a terrorist attack." RK900 told him. The detective huffed and leaned back on his chair.

"Then why the fuck did they blow up a carousel horse?" He murmured. 

After a few minutes, Gavin finished typing his sick leave paper and went up to print it in the printing room. As soon as it finished printing, he grabbed it and went to put it down at Fowler's desk. 

He closed the door and was about to walk to desk when he was stopped by his android.

"Wha-"

"There was a fire at the Mabelle hotel and a body was found, we need to go." He told him. Gavin nodded and the android held out his gun and his phone. "I took the liberty of grabbing them for you."

Gavin cocked an eyebrow and grabbed them. "Thanks."

They quickly walked over to the detective's car and drove off to the crime scene.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pair walked into the burnt hotel room. Gavin grimaced and walked around the room.

"What the fuck happened here?" He went around the bed and knelt at the veiled corpse. He lifted the sheet and saw that the body was lying face down.

"There's some blood at the back of his head." He murmured. "Maybe the fire was just a coverup for killing him."

He watched as RK900 knelt next to him and inspected the body as well.

"Joshua Yang. Age 46. Worked at a car garage before he was killed." The android reported back to him. Gavin nodded and the android stood up and continued to look around the burnt hotel room for clues.

He paused and looked at the floor. There were circular indents in the rug. "The killer seemed to have moved the table and chair."

"Why go through the fucking trouble of rearranging the furniture, tearing, and then burning this place down?" Gavin asked. He walked over to where the android was standing and went deep into thought. 

"Maybe... it isn't about the body." The android mused. 

"What the fuck do you mean?" The detective looked at him with a confused look. 

"People destroy objects because they have projected their self-hatred onto something outside, which has to be annihilated." RK900 told him. 

Gavin stood up and saw something hanging on a chair. He put on a plastic glove and held it up. He called the hotel security guards outside the room. "Was this guy the only victim found here?"

"No kids, no nothing." The man said back. Gavin frowned.

"Then why is there a kid's robe here?" RK900 looked at the kid's robe and began to piece what they have found so far. 

_The suspect destroyed a hotel room and a carousel horse._

_A child's shoe was found near the carousel._

_A child's robe was found in the hotel room._

"Why... would the suspect do all this damage if they were just going to kill someone?" He said to himself. Gavin put down the robe and looked at him. 

"What do you mean?" He questioned. The android walked over to the detective. 

"Whoever did this had the intent of destroying this place, much like a person who wanted to destroy that carousel horse." Gavin nodded, following his train of thought. "Even though there were casualties, I don't think that was the intention."

"So you think that this hotel room and that horse were the actual targets?" He finally asked. RK900 nodded.

"I also think that these two crimes were done by the same person."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two were at the evidence room at the DPD, going over what they had found so far. 

"The man who rented out that room at the Mabelle Hotel paid with a stolen credit card. And judging from the security footage the hotel gave us, the killer must have known his victim and invited him in," The android said, replaying the footage, "but he was careful to keep himself hidden from the cameras."

"Would it be possible the victim been in on trashing the hotel room?" Gavin asked, looking at the information of the victim. 

"It's possible, but rather unlikely, Detective Reed." The android stopped playing the footage and began to listen back to the interrogation that took place at the park. "However, it's also possible that the killer was interrupted by his visitor, was then confronted about his actions, and had no choice but to kill his witness."

"But we don't have enough fucking evidence to prove it." The detective huffed in annoyance. 

"We don't, but considering that the room wasn't ruined in a way the it was chaotic and haphazard, there was clear order to how it was damaged, and the furniture was rearranged with a sense of logic."

Gavin put down the information and looked at the notes they had taken while in the hotel room. "The clock stopped at eight forty, and the victim arrived at the scene at eight forty-six."

"The only reason to destroy a room in the way it was done, is if it had personal meaning to him. If the killer is internally broken, he projects the all the negativity in him onto the carousel and the Mabelle hotel room." He finished. Gavin crossed his arms. 

"But we need concrete evidence to support this theory you have." Gavin pointed out. RK900 frowned and look deep in thought.

"The robe and shoe we found were both sizes suitable for a child, and the carousel in a child's plaything." 

"So you're saying that he could be the Stewie Griffin of murderers, or a grown ass man destroying his memories?" The android nodded in confirmation. Gavin tapped his foot and looked back at the evidence. 

"Let's say he's really trying to destroy his memories, but why the fuck would he do it now?" The detective ran through everything last few days and then something clicked. 

"The tattoo," he murmured. 

"What about it?" 

"The girl told us that the subway suspect had a tattoo of what looked like a marijuana leaf." Gavin rubbed his chin. The android nodded and tried to follow his train of thought. "What looks like cannabis but isn't cannabis?" 

RK900 looked confused and opened his mouth but the detective beat him to it. "A maple leaf." Gavin told him. "And the symbol for the park is a leaf." He typed something into the computer in the room and the subway map popped up. He motioned for the android to come closer to look.

The android leaned in next to the detective and began to realise what he was trying to do. "The carousel, the hotel and the subway are so close to each other."

"And the train was headed for the park." Gavin widened his eyes and looked back at the android. "All of these. It's the same guy who's committing these crimes, but what is he telling us?" 

The android's LED blinked faster. "The subway attack... maybe the people weren't meant to be killed, they were just collateral damage."

"You said that it was chlorine that killed the victims." The android nodded and went over to inspect the half-melted spray can bottle and CD. 

"It is also a corrosive gas that can destroy metal." 

"He used chlorine to damage the train, like how he destroyed the carousel and the hotel room." Gavin tapped his figure on the shelf next to the computer. "If the train didn't suddenly stop, the victims could have lived." 

"The hotel victim didn't die from smoke inhalation, but rather a blunt force to the back of his head, but there are also signs that he had leukoderma." 

"What's that?" He asked him. 

"It's common for people who have come in contact with motor oil to have leukoderma. Joshua Yang worked at a car garage." 

"Where have I heard that before..." RK900 could see the gears turning in Gavin's head before he looked up. "The victim in the park, Cory Dylan, he also worked at a car garage, check if they worked at the same place." The android nodded as he checked his files. 

"They do." Gavin gestured for the android to follow him and they went back into the detective's car. 

"Tell me the address of the car garage, we gotta go there now." He ordered RK900 as he started up his car. 

They were so close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, another chapter of this fic is finished, and it's rather long this time :) Like I said before, this crime is heavily inspired by an episode of the show Instinct. Also, I want to thank all you wonderful readers for being so supportive of this fic! It's only been seven chapters, but I've already received so many wonderful comments and kudos, I don't know how to thank you all! I'm planning to do a Q&A, so if any of you have any questions, comment down below, and it will be answered in a future chapter! Anyway, that's it for now, don't forget to comment, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	8. Chapter 8

Gavin pulled over in front of the garage. He grabbed his gun and immediately got out of his car. The android got out as well and they hurried inside the car garage. They saw a middle-aged man working on a car and got his attention. 

"Excuse me sir, DPD, we need to ask you a few questions." He showed the man his badge. He put down his tools and wiped his hands on his apron.

"What can I help you with, officer?" 

"Do you have any workers that aren't here today?" The man tapped his chin in thought. 

"J...Joshua and Cory." The two officers shared a look and Gavin motioned for the android to project an image of Joshua from his hand. 

"We found Joshua Yang dead in a room at the Mabelle Hotel, and we have a suspicion of who killed him, but first we need to know why Cory Dylan is not at work today." RK900 said. The image disappeared from his outstretched hand and it dropped back to his side.

"I... he isn't at work 'cause it's his birthday today." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. 

"Does he have a tattoo?" The android asked him.

"Y-yeah, on his forearm, a leaf I thinks."

"Can you tell us where he lives?" Gavin asked. 

"He lives in the apartment above this car garage, apartment 07 on the fourth floor."

Gavin gave him a fast "thank you" and the two ran to the stairs leading up to the apartment. The android arrived on the fourth floor a few seconds before the detective did and waited for him.

The shorter male huffed as he finally made it to the fourth floor. He leaned on the wall next to stairs to catch his breath. 'My body isn't really like it's used to be, I need to go to the gym.' He thought.

"Are you alright, Detective?" The android asked with ting of concern in his voice. Gavin waved his hand dismissively and got off the wall. 

"Come on, let's find that fucking apartment." RK900's LED blinked yellow as he nodded and walked off to find the apartment. 

The detective stared after him with growing feeling of insecurity in him. The android was sculpted like a statue, and his body most likely wouldn't start to wear down until decades later. He hugged his body, then shook his head. He can't be insecure about his fucking body right now, he has a fucking job to do. He saw that his partner was standing in front of a door and jogged over to him.

"The door is unlocked, so Cory Dylan isn't here." Gavin nodded and opened the door. The two went inside warily. The room was quite tidy and there wasn't many valuables inside the room. 

Gavin walked around and inspected his surroundings. He saw something on the coffee table at the corner of his eye, walked over to see what it was. They seemed to be drawings. He crouched down and put on some gloves. 

"Hey, Nines, come over here and check this out!" He called out to the android. 

"What did you just call me?" The android as he crouched down next to the detective. He felt a blush creeping on his face and refused to look up at the android. 'What's with me and fucking blushing lately?!'

"Well, I don't want to say your fucking mouthful of a name, and I don't wanna have you call me 'Detective Asshole' after I call you plastic prick and shit, so yeah Nines is your new nickname."

It might have been a trick in the light, but he swore he saw the android's cheeks become slightly blue. "I see, thank you Detective Reed."

Gavin cleared his throat. "Anyway, check these drawings out, they look like a kid drew them." 

The android ran a quick scan on the pieces of paper. "But the fingerprints on them belong to Cody Dylan." He then pointed at one of the pictures. "That looks like the carousel horse at the park."

"And those are the subway and the hotel, the crime scenes. I bet Cory was in every one of them." There was a piece of behind one of the pictures. "Felix Dylan, this name seems familiar." 

The android stood up and walked to the bookshelf with a picture of two men shaking hands in front of the park. "Felix Dylan led the restoration of the park In 2018." Something clicked in his head. "That was his voice in the CD, Cory's father. It didn't belong to a tourist, it was Cory's." 

"That would explain Cory's connection to the park. Search up as much on Felix Dylan right now." The android's LED whirred yellow. 

"The city though of Felix Adams as a saviour, he seemed to have it all, that is until he killed himself twenty-four years ago today." 

Gavin gelt his heart drop. "That would explain why he's doing it now." 

The android paced around with a finger at his chin as he continued. "He killed himself on Cory's birthday. It's the logic of someone with arrested development. He's thinking like a child. The CD, the shoe, the bathrobe, they weren't found at the crime scenes, Cory left them there." He stopped and looked Gavin in the eyes. "Tributes, sacred last memories he had with his father, and now he's letting go."

"It's a fucking suicide mission." The detective ran a hand through his hair. "Just like his dad, at the same day and age. Now the question is where?" He went to look at around the bookshelf and saw a drawing sticking out between some books. His heart beat faster as he showed it to the android. "Ambassador Bridge, he jumped off Ambassador Bridge, but Cory wasn't there to stop him."

Nines took another picture off the shelf. "This picture is at the Felix Dylan's office near the bridge. This is another memory, he may watch everything happen from the exact building."

Gavin threw down the drawing and ran out the room. The android ran after him. 

"Call the DPD right now and tell them to send people to the bridge right now, we don't know when he's going to blows up the bridge." He ordered his partner, who nodded and immediately contacted the DPD. 

Gavin's body began to feel with dread as he started up his car and sped down the road. 

Millions of people's lives were at risk, and their time limit was unknown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They made it to the bridge and Miller greeted them. 

"We already tried to stop any more people from going on the bridge, but there are still people on it. ESU and bomb squad are all waiting for orders." Miller told them.

"Find the bomb, while we try to locate Cory. Remember, stay off your portables, radio waves can set off a bomb and fucking kill us." Miller nodded and went back to the other officers as he shouted orders. 

The android looked up the buildings surrounding them and pointed at a figure at the top.

"He's over there, we need to hurry, Detective Reed." He was about to go when the detective placed a hand on his chest. "Detective, wha-"

"Bomb squad doesn't know what the bomb would look like, but you would considering you're an android, you have to go over there and help." The android's LED spun yellow. 

"Detective, I suggest that we go together for your safety-"

"I'll be fine, I've negotiated with people who pointed guns at my fucking head, now go!" Nines hesitated but there was a look of determination on Gavin. "We don't have time, go!" He took off running to the building and the android stared after him before running to join the others.

"How's the situation, Officer Miller?" He asked as soon as he arrived. 

"Mobilisation points set up near at the park and the square." Nines nodded and looked around at the officers.

"The bomb we are looking for may be in one of the vehicles in the area, most likely in a private car." He shouted over the noise. "We would have to spread out in order to cover more ground!" Everyone nodded and spread out to find the bomb. 

Nines looked up at the building with the figure and hoped with his entire being that the detective would be safe before running off to find the bomb as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gavin raced to the building and got into the lift and waited anxiously for it to arrive at the top floor. 

As soon as it arrived on the top floor, he slammed open the door to the outside and saw that Cory Dylan was standing at the edge of the roof. He turned around and held a finger near the button.

"Come any closer and I'll bomb the bridge!" He yelled over the wind. The detective raised his hands in surrender and began inching towards him slowly. 

"Calm down, Cory, I'm not going to hurt you." The detective said calmly. 

"I-I recognise you." Cory stammered. Gavin nodded. 

"Yeah, we... met in the park, you got hurt." He gestured to the bandage on the other's cheek. "I know you're not a murderer, and those casualties at the other places weren't part of your plan. The bombing of the carousel was a bit miscalculated so you got hurt yourself, the passengers would've lived if the train didn't stop suddenly." He got closer and closer to Cory until they were face to face. "Even Joshua's death was an accident, right?"

"I d-didn't mean to kill anyone, th-they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Cory explained as he held the control to the bomb higher. 

Gavin crossed his arms across his chest. "I know." He took a deep breath. "Tell me about that last day you had with your dad."

Cory began to lower the controller. "It was your birthday, right?"

There was a moment of silence before Cory finally spoke. 

"My dad took a day off work for my birthday, I wanted to come to Detroit, where he lived before he moved somewhere. We went to the carousel and stay at Mabelle hotel, but I really wanted to go see Ambassador Bridge." He took a shaky breath before he continued, "He didn't, it was late and I threw a tantrum, so he took me. He did everything for me, h-he was the greatest man I ever knew."

"But later that night, he went back there." Gavin looked out at the bridge. He could see the swarm of police cars near it.

"He said goodnight to me at the hotel before he left. He said he had to go back to the office, it's right downstairs." Gavin nodded. "I could never grow up to be the man he wanted me to be."

"He was an awesome man, and he wanted for you to have a great birthday, but in the end, he committed suicide. And no matter what, none of that was your fault-"

"It was." Cory cut him off. The detective watched as he looked down the building.

"I know that's you believe that one day you would be like your dad, but you're not." Gavin told him firmly. Cory ran his other hand through his hair and his eyes pooled with tears. "You are not like your dad, and you never will be."

"What was your name again?" He asked. The detective tiled his head slightly.

"Gavin." 

"Well, get ready to see something Gavin." He placed a finger over the button on the controller.

"If you press that button, hundreds of people will die. It won't be just your memory that you destroy or the bridge, but hundreds of people on the bridge, having a nice day near it. People who love this city, who love the park, dads and their sons, and you know what? Some of them might be spending a birthday together. Do you really want to kill them, Cory? Do you?' Gavin had a hand on his gun just in case the other man wouldn't cooperate. "That's not who you are, Cory. I know it's not."

Cory's lips shook as he put down the hand with the controller and tears ran down his cheeks. He put down the controller. 

Gavin moved to grab it, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cory walking over to the edge. 

"Cory, no!" He watched as he was too late and Cory fell to certain death. 

Gavin stood in shock and a gaped mouth as his brain registered what he just saw. He lowered down his head and hugged himself.

_I could have saved him._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Check the cars over at that block!" "All clear, all cars here are clear!"

Nines's LED spun faster. Where was the bomb? 

He ran around and scanned the cars as fast as he could. Nothing. He grunted and ran to the next street. 

He looked up at the building with two figures, and clench his fist tighter. Gavin was trying to talk to the killer right now, and they were both dangerously close to the ledge. The android looked down again and scanned the cars in the area. Just as the scan was about to finish, there was something red in one of the cars. The bomb.

"Here! The bomb's in the white car!" He yelled to the bomb squad. 

Officers ran over to where he was standing and forcefully open the door of the car to defuse the bomb. He watched from the sidelines as the bomb squad quickly worked on the defusing the bomb.

There was a moment of silence as the final wire was cut. "The bomb has been defused!" One officer yelled. Everyone cheered and RK900 felt his lips stretch into a small smile. The detective might be successful in his task, now he had to contact--

There was a loud crash on one of the cars near them. All of them turned to the sound of the noise as RK900 made his way to the source of the sound. What if it was Gavin? He shook his head. No, he was careful, it couldn't be him. 

The android was taken back when he saw Cory Dylan bleeding. "Call the paramedics now!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The android later found the detective sitting on one of the benches with his face in his hands. He sat down next to him and Gavin looked up.

"You did a good job, detective." Gavin gave him a weak smile.

"You, too." Nines's LED blinked blue with a hint of yellow.

"Had he pulled the detonator, a lot of people would have died-" The detective cut him off. 

"I could have fucking saved the guy, Nines." He muttered, looking blankly at the ground.

"Detective Reed, he is a mass killer,"

"That was brought up in all the wrong ways possible. Losing his dad as a kid, led him to the state he was in." He ran a hand through his hair. 

_Must be a nervous tick._ The android noted. "That is not an excuse for his actions, Detective Reed."

"I know, but the worst part of it, is that he thought his dad's death was all his fault, that he was the one who made him jump." He leaned back on the bench and closed his eyes as he tilted his head backwards. "He was damaged in the inside, just in like his dad, but he spent his entire life thinking he failed his dad, and he couldn't move on from that." 

The android sat there pondering what Gavin said. That was one of the most insightful things he heard from the man. He watched as the detective stood up and stretched. 

"Well, moving on from the case, I'm fucking starved. I'm going to go get some food, wanna come?" He looked back at the android with his hands in his pockets. 

Nines gave him a small smile and stood up as well. "Alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this chapter was super long and my wrist hurts a lot from typing lol. Gavin finally called RK900 Nines :3 Sorry this chapter was a bit depressing, but there might be fluff in the next chapter between our lovely detective and his partner, and maybe a bit with Connor ;3 Anyway, that's it for this chapter, don't forget to comment, and I will see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	9. Chapter 9

Gavin parked in front of a small diner. Nines quirked a perfect eyebrow at the establishment as he got out of the car.

"Come on, I'm starving." The detective called as he walked over to the entrance of the diner. The android followed him in and the bell above the door gave a soft 'ding' when it was opened. 

Nines looked around. There were a buzz of chatter that filled the diner, and the place gave off a homely and comfortable feeling. Gavin went over to a small corner and took a seat at a booth. The android slid into the seat across from him when a woman in her mid-50s came up to them with a notepad and smile. 

"The usual, Gavin?" She asked. The detective nodded and smiled. 

"Yeah Marie, thanks." She jotted his order down and looked at his partner. 

"And how about your friend." There was a teasing tone to her voice that made the detective a bit flustered. 

"He'll have the same." Marie nodded with a chuckle and went over to the kitchen to give the cook their order. There was an uncomfortable silence between them before the android finally broke it. 

"So, I take it that you're quite close with the waitress, Detective Reed?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's a close friend of my mom and dad, so I used to come here a lot as a kid." A fond smile graced Gavin's face as memories started to flood his mind. 

Nines was a bit taken back. The detective didn't smile often, but when he saw him smiling, it was like he was younger and small dimples appeared on his cheeks. The android felt his cheeks heat up slightly and immediately ran a self-diagnostic. Nothing seemed to be wrong with his systems, it seemed that he was performing the human action called "blushing". Why was he blushing?

"Hey, you okay?" Gavin was looking at him with a concerned expression. "Are your systems malfunctioning or whatever?" 

"No, I'm fine." The detective looked a bit unconvinced and was about to respond when their food arrived. 

Nines looked at the plate in front of him. It was a classic burger and fries on the side. Gavin took a large bite of his burger and shoved a few fires in his mouth. He looked up at the android while he was chewing and swallowed before he spoke. 

"You can eat, right?" He took another bite of his burger.

"I can, since I have functions in my body that can burn the food I eat, I don't produce waste." He held up a fry and took a bite. 

"That's cool I guess, CyberLife really thought through everything." He mumbled. Nines shrugged and held up his burger to take small bites. 

They ate there for another twenty minutes before Gavin finished and paid the bill. Nines tried to split the bill, but Gavin insisted on paying for the both of them, telling the android to take it as a celebratory meal after they solved the case. 

The two went back to the detective's car and had a small conversation while they drove back to the police station. 

When they entered the DPD, they were immediately called to Fowler's office. Gavin groaned and walked up the stairs with his partner trailing after him. He opened the door and stood in front of the captain's desk with crossed arms.

Fowler finished writing something and set it aside. He placed his hands on the desk and linked his fingers together. 

"I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the work you did. The FBI wanted me to thank you two for solving the case." Gavin smirked. The FBI couldn't even solve a case that would be considered easy in their book. 

"Anyway, you guys gotta type a report and hand it to me before work ends. Now get out of my office." He grunted out as he grabbed a pile of papers to start working on. The two went out of his office and Gavin went to the break room to get some coffee while Nines went back to their desk. 

The detective grabbed his mug and began to make himself a fresh brew of coffee when Connor walked in with a cup. 

"Oh, hello Detective Reed!" Said detective turned around and looked at Connor. 

"Oh, hey Connor, what do you need?" Connor smiled and Gavin knew why a lot of people liked the android so much. 

'His smile is so fucking cute, how?!' He felt a blush spreading across his cheeks and immediately looked away. 

"I want to congratulate you and RK900 for solving the case so quickly, you two did a really good job." The coffee machine beeped and Gavin poured the fresh brew into his cup. 

"Thanks, it was a team effort." He add some milk into the coffee and waited for it to cool down a bit.

"You two make a good team." Connor continued as he moved to grab a pitcher of water. 

"I guess, I mean he's like a walking encyclopaedia, it's pretty handy." He told the android with a small smirk on his face. 

"Detective Reed, there's a call for you." RK900 stepped in to the break room. 

"Okay, see you later." He grabbed his coffee and walked back to his desk. Nines watched Connor stare after the detective with an unreadable expression. The newer model's LED whirred yellow with a hind of blue. 

"What were you talking to Detective Reed about?" He asked his predecessor. Connor snapped out of his reverie and blinked at Nines before giving him a small smile that didn't seem to reattach his eyes.

"I was congratulating Detective Reed on your success. You two saved a lot of lives by solving it so quickly." Nines nodded slowly as his LED blinked yellow once more before settling back to a soft blue. 

"I see, thank you." Connor smiled as he poured water into his glass. 

"You're welcome, I better get back to work, I'll see you later." He gave Nines a small wave and went back to his desk. Nines gripped his fist tighter behind his back and went back to his own desk. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gavin set his coffee on his desk and grabbed his phone. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was his mom. He tilted his head. His mother usually didn't call him unless it was an emergency or something great happened. 

He tapped the button to answer and held his phone up to his ear.

"Hey ma, you okay?" He asked. He heard sniffling on the other side and he got worried. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I-it's your Aunt Ca-Carla." His mom stammered and there was a chocked sob. He felt a lump grow in his throat.

"What happened to Aunt Carla?" 

"Sh-she didn't make it, Gavin." He dropped down on his seat and held his head in his other hand. 

"Bu-but the doctor s-said..." There was another sob on the other side of the phone. 

"Wh-when's the funeral?" He asked quietly as he quickly wiped any tears pooling at his eyes. He couldn't cry here at the police station.

"Next Monday." He checked the date. It was Wednesday. 

"I'll be home on Friday." 

They exchanged a few words before they said goodbye to each other. Gavin hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He didn't think that his aunt would leave so soon, the doctors had said should had a few more months before-

"Detective Reed, are you okay?" Nines had settled into his seat across from him and he looked concerned. 

Should he let the android know? It wouldn't hurt if he knew, and he would have to tell him why he wouldn't be at work for the next few days eventually.

"My... aunt just passed, and I have to go home for h-her funeral." His voice shook slightly.

"I'm sorry for your loss, detective." The detective shrugged and rubbed his eyes.

"Just wished I could've said goodbye." He breathed and tried to calm himself. "I won't be at work for the next few days, and I gotta tell Fowler. I'll be right back." He stood up with a sigh and walked to Fowler's office with a slightly hunched over posture. 

Nines felt something horrible in him at the sight of the detective. It wasn't like his usual proud and broad-shouldered posture, he seemed lost. He was going grieving, he told himself, a behaviour common in humans who just lost their loved ones. Part of him wanted to try and comfort the detective, but another part of him knew that he had to leave Gavin alone to grieve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was short and didn't seem interesting, it's more like a filler chapter while I try to think about what to write for the next chapter, but I didn't mean to make it this sad :') I like to think that Gavin's pretty close to his family, and grew up with like three siblings or something. Anyway, that's it for now, don't forget to comment, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	10. Chapter 10

Gavin was on his couch, his tears dripping onto the photos of him with his aunt. Sobs racked his body and he kept sniffling and wiping his tears with his hoodie sleeve. 

‘I wish I could’ve spend more time with her, why didn’t I call her more?’ He thought guiltily as he gripped his hair in his hand. 

“Mwor?” His dark brown munchkin, Brownie, stood up on his back legs and pawed at his pants leg. His other cat, Oreo, jumped beside him and sat there with a tilted head. 

A watery smile appeared on Gavin's face and he picked Brownie up and scooped Oreo and hugged them to his chest. They stayed like that for a while before Gavin finally let his cats go and grabbed his phone to buy a plane ticket to Cincinnati, Ohio. 

He then moved to get his suitcase and began to pack some clothes and a suit. He didn't own a lot of clothes and the only suit he owned was from his high school graduation, so the process of packing was pretty quick. 

The detective flopped onto his bed and hugged a pillow to his chest as he snuggled into his duvet. His cats jumped crawled onto his bed and laid by his feet. He smiled at them and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

RK900 watched as his partner slipped into his seat quietly with slightly red eyes and nose. He didn't have a cup of coffee with him and his shoulders were hunched over. His LED flashed yellow before he finally opened his mouth. 

"Detective Reed, are you alright?" He furrowed his eyebrows when Gavin only grunted and didn't say anything else. The detective was still grieving, so it would better if he didn't bother him for the time being. 

The android tapped away on his computer and occasionally casted glances at the detective, who seemed to be focused on his work. Nines sighed, stood up and went to the break room to make a cup of coffee for the detective. 

The coffee finished brewing and he poured it into a cup. He turned around and saw the Lieutenant walk into the break room with his own cup. The older man stopped in his tracks and blinked at the android with a confused expression before running a hand down his face. 

"I thought you were Connor for a minute there." He chuckled dryly as he went to grab a pitcher of water. 

"We do look alike aside from our attire, so that is understandable." He said. Hank finished pouring his water and took a sip of it while looking at RK900. 

"So, what's up with Reed? He looks like shit and he hasn't said anything since he clocked in." There was a flash of red in the android's LED before it settled back to blue. 

"The detective is grieving over the loss of a close family member, so I suspect that he might have been crying the previous night." 

"Ah, well better not bother him for a while." RK900 nodded slowly. He excused himself and went back to his desk. Gavin was still focused on his work and didn't look at him when he set the cup of coffee next to him. 

"I assume that you didn't have your usual cup of coffee today, detective, so I made you one." The detective didn't respond and continued to type. The android sighed and sat down at his seat. 

Gavin didn't pick the cup of coffee up for the rest of the day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Connor frowned. Gavin had came in looking horrible and went to work robotically. He didn't talk to any officers and when RK900 set down a cup of coffee in front of him, he didn't even glance at it or move to grab it. 

He learnt from Hank that the detective was grieving for the death of a family member, and it would be better if Connor didn't bother him. 

It felt weird to not see the detective talk or banter with anyone, but instead looking even more tired than usual and being quiet. 

For the rest of the day, he shot worried looks at the detective. Hank caught him once and told him not to worry about him so much, but something in Connor wanted to hold the detective in his arms and comfort him and make sure he would never look so sad again. 

He squirmed at the thought and tried hard to concentrate on his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update earlier, the WiFi in my house was utter crap and I update from my laptop :/ Anyway, we saw both androids being concerned for our lovely and smol detective :3 That's it for now, don't forget to comment, and I'll see you beauties in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	11. Chapter 11

Okay guyssss, I’m not giving up this fic, I’ve just been busy these couple of weeks because of school and crap. I’m super duper sorry :(

I’m really sorry for not updating all of a sudden, but the next chapter is in the works and should be out in a few hours or so :3

These coming chapters will mainly be like filler chapters focusing on Gavin’s feelings and stuff, and Nines getting to know more about our dear detective(and who knows maybe also some Connor action *wink wink*) 

Well that’s it for this chapter, don’t forget to leave some comments I love reading them, and I’ll see you in the next chapter, ciao! 

Xoxo Rose


	12. Chapter 12

RK900 glanced at the clock in the precinct.

Six o’clock. He heard rustling from across him and assumed the detective would be leaving on time to go home and pack. 

“Hey Nines,” The android turned to look at the detective in mild shock. He hadn’t spoke all day until now, and his voice sound hoarse, like he had been crying. 

Nines frowned a bit. He didn’t like the idea of the detective crying. 

“Is there something you need, detective?” 

“Since I’m gonna be outta town for a few days, I was wondering if you could look after my cats for me.” Gavin ran a hand through his messy hair and stuck his other hand into his hoodie pocket. 

“Of course, it would be my pleasure.” The detective’s lips quirked up a tiny bit. 

“Great, if you’re done we can go to my place now.” 

“I just need to log off my computer detective.” Gavin nodded and waited as the android logged off, stood up and pushed his chair into his desk.

“Come on, let’s go.” RK900 followed the man to his car and sat in the passenger seat. He buckled his seat belt and listened as the car engine roared to life. Not long after, they were on the road to Gavin's apartment. The android looked out the window and mapped the route he would need to take to the apartment from the precinct. 

After around twenty minutes of driving, they parked in front of a relatively nice looking apartment building. The pair got out of the car and went inside the building. 

There was a middle-aged man in a security guard uniform at the front, reading a newspaper. He looked up when he heard the two come in and greeted the detective, which Gavin returned, and cocked a curious eyebrow at the tall android following him, but didn't say anything and went back to his paper. 

RK900 stayed by the lift and pressed the button as the detective went to check his mailbox, and came back with a few envelopes. They got in the small lift as soon as it arrived and Gavin pressed the button with the number 7. The entire way up to his floor, they didn't move to start a conversation with the other. With the way how Gavin looked, the android doubted he had the energy to. 

The lift stopped at the seventh floor with a soft ding and the doors opened. The detective walked out first and went straight down the hall in quick strides. Nines followed him and surveyed his surroundings. The halls looked relatively clean, and he can make out some people having conversations behind some doors. 

Gavin stopped in front of the door with 710 on it. He shoved his hand into his jean pocket and fished out his keys. He unlocked the door and breathed in as he stepped back inside the comfort of his home. He threw the keys on the dresser and bent down to take off his shoes. 

"Take off your shoes, there's a pair of slippers on the rack over there." He grabbed the dark brown pair for himself and then whistled. "Brownie, Oreo?" 

Those must be his cats' names, RK900 thought as he placed his own pair shoes next to the detective's and slipped on a pair of black slippers. He named his cats after desserts, that was a bit cute. He smiled to himself. 

He looked at the apartment. It was quaint, and there seemed to be a soft grey theme. There was a couch facing the TV and against a wall with a clock above it. There was an open bar kitchen with brown stools by the bar. There were also two doorways where the android presumed led to a closet and the detective's bedroom 

Two cats trotted out from the bedroom and made their way towards Gavin. A smile stretched across his face as he crouched down to scoop them in his arms. 

"These are my cats, the brown munchkin is Brownie, the siamese is Oreo." Oreo nuzzled her head under Gavin's chin while Brownie regarded the android curiously. "Why'cha standing there like an idiot? You can pet them, they're not hostile." 

RK900 cautiously raised his hand and placed it on Brownie's head. The feline's fur felt soft against the sensors on his palm. He rubbed his head and a purring sound resonated from Brownie's body. 

"He likes you." The detective nuzzled Oreo back. "Now come here, I'll show you where the cat food is." He set down his cats and walked to the kitchen, his cats and Nines following closely. 

He opened a top shelf and there were a few tin cans. "This is where I keep the food, the supply's running out, so you might need to buy some." He took two cans and opened them. The cats meowed loudly as Gavin set the opened cans next to the felines. He leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms.

"Anyway, thanks for watching my cats, I would've ask Chris or Tina, but they have kids and stuff." He started mumbling near the end and reached down to scratch Brownie behind the ear. 

"You're welcome, Detective. You are my partner after all, and it's the least I can do." Gavin looked up and swore he saw that the android's lips were quirked upwards. Maybe it was just the trick of the light. 

He stood up and brushed off imaginary dust off his shirt. "Well, uh, it's getting late, and I still need to pack some stuff." Nines nodded and made his way to the door. He grabbed his shoes and slipped into them. 

"Just come over here at six thirty and feed them, I'll be back next Wednesday." The android nodded and turned to opened the door. "Thanks again, Nines." He looked over his shoulder at the detective. 

"You're welcome, detective." RK900 opened the door and stepped outside. "Goodnight, detective." 

"You too." He watched as the detective closed the door and heard him shuffling towards the kitchen again. RK900 stood in front of the door for a bit longer before walking to the lift. 

Tonight was a good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin's cats are literally the cutest things known to mankind. If you don't know what a munchkin cat looks like, why aren't you Googling it? It is soooo cute :3 Fun fact about Gavin in this story, he actually has a major sweet tooth, that's why he named his cats after two desserts :) Anyway, that's it for this chapter, don't forget to comment, I love reading them, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	13. Chapter 13

Gavin walked towards his cats and crouched down next to them. A blush blossomed on his cheeks as he scratched Oreo behind the ears. He swore that the blue-eyed android would be the death of him. The intensity on those eyes made him feel all weird and tingly inside. He couldn't say that he was unfamiliar with the feeling, but it's been a very long time since he felt like that. 

"Mwor?" Brownie padded over to him and placed his paw on the detective's cheek. Gavin smiled and took his paw in his calloused hand.

"I'm fine, just thinking about family stuff. Well, you guys are family and I could tell you, but I don't want you guys to worry too much." He rambled as Oreo walked over to him as well. The siamese meowed and tilted her head. Gavin sighed. 

"And now I'm rambling to the both of you." He grabbed the empty food cans and dumped them in the waste bin. He washed his hands and tredded to his bedroom. His suitcase was placed at the end of his bed, and the clothes he would be wearing the next day were draped over a chair. Gavin grabbed last night's pyjamas, went to the washroom and took a quick shower. He brushed his teeth, shuffled back to his bedroom and flopped onto his bed with a groan. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through his social media accounts as his cats got onto his bed and settled down by his feet.

After a while, he felt his eyes more and more droopy and charged his phone. He yawned and switched off the lights. He's gonna have a long day tomorrow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor placed two plates of food on the small table in the kitchen with a smile. He had recently learnt a new recipe for healthy burgers and needless to say, the end result was superb.

"Wow Connor, that smells amazing, whatcha' got there?" Hank came in the kitchen as he scratched his back. Sumo followed him closely and Connor reached to pet the Saint Bernard on the head.

"It's healthy burger recipe I found, Hank. I know that you love burgers, but they contain a lot of grease, so I decided to find something that incorporates both healthiness and the food you love." He smiled at the lieutenant as he scratched Sumo under the chin. Hank smiled back and took a seat at the table. 

"That's pretty thoughtful, thanks son." Connor felt his insides grow warmer at the endearing term. The older man had decided to adopt the android as his son and invited him to live with him and Sumo. To Connor, they were the perfect family. 

"Thank you, Hank." He grabbed the bag of dog food and poured it into Sumo's food bowl. The dog padded over to the bowl as Connor grabbed his other bowl to fill it up with water and placed it back near the eating dog. "Go on and try it. Tell me what you think about it." 

The lieutenant held up the burger and took a small bite out of it. He chewed a bit before making a satisfied noise. "Shit, this is very good, Connor." He took another relatively larger bite. 

The android beamed. "Thank you, Hank." He sat down and took a bite out of his own burger. He hummed. This was good, his cooking was getting better. 

The two continued to eat in silence, the only noise being is their chewing. They finished and washed the dishes together with occasional playful banter. They then settled down at the couch in the living room. Hank took the remote and turned on the TV to a show that he recently got into. As he started to get into the show, Connor was delving in his own thoughts. 

How was the detective doing? He looked so tired and out of it during work. He didn't try to talk to anyone in the precinct. When he did, it was a curt, one word answer or a grunt. The android knew that Gavin had recently lost a close family member, he didn't know how much grief Gavin was going through, but he imagined that he himself would act the same way if anything happened to Hank or Sumo, he would act the same way. 

He had noticed that Gavin had asked RK900 to go over to his house at the end of work. Maybe he would be housesitting while the detective was out of town? Connor felt his fist tighten ever so slightly. He was perfectly capable housesitting for Gavin. Did he not trust him, even if they've been working together for months? Granted, he didn't have the chance to be close to Gavin since they weren't partners like him and Hank, nor did he have anything common interests with the detective like Officer Chen and Officer Miller, but they were still colleagues, and colleagues trusted each other, right? 

A sudden bark of laughter from Hank startled him out of his thoughts. Connor shook his head. Now, it's his personal time with Hank and Sumo, his family. He settled back at the couch and started to pay attention to the TV show. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

RK900 took off his jacket and hung it on a coat hanger by the door as he stepped into his home. Well, he wouldn't call it a 'home'. It lacked the warmth needed in one, so he treated the simple apartment as an 'accommodation'. He placed his shoes under the coat hanger and went to grab a thirium packet from the fridge in the kitchen. He sat down on the small sofa in front of the TV and turned it on as he opened the packet and took small sips. The news was on and there was something about Red Ice dealers being arrested at a bar. 

He continued to watch the news as he consumed the thirium, until his thoughts were slowly consumed by grey eyes. He had to admit, when he first met the detective, he found him quite good looking, but his foul language and hatred towards androids were unacceptable to him, but after working on a case together, he realised that the other was smart and a good negotiator, he quite enjoyed his company. He liked the concentrated look in his eyes when he was looking over evidence, he liked the snarky and quick-witted comments he made, and he especially liked the small smiles that sometimes graced his lips when something went right. 

He had done some research on why he found the detective's behaviours so endearing, and it seemed that he felt some sort of attraction towards the male. The corners of his lip quirked upwards. The detective did have a certain charm, and he couldn't blame himself to be a bit attracted to him. 

He also noticed that the other android in the precinct felt the same way. He noticed the longing gazes Connor gave the detective when he thought no one was watching, the fondness in the his brown eyes when he talked to Gavin, and how his touch seemed to linger a second too long (in Nines' opinion) when he was handing Gavin something. 

His grip on the thirium packet tightened as more of the liquid spilled into his mouth, but then loosened his grip. Although he didn't know the detective as long as Connor, but he did get along better with Gavin than the other android. He was even trusted to watch his cats and home. 

The packet was drained and the android got up to throw it in the waste bin as he smirked. If Connor thought that he had a chance to win the detective over, then he was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this, what's this? A jealous Connor and Nines? It seems that Nines has finally come to terms to what he's feeling towards Gavin, and he's getting ready to woo the detective :) Connor is gonna have to work harder to get on better with Gavin :> Anyways, that's it for this chapter, don't forget to comment, I love reading them, and I'll see you guys in this next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	14. Chapter 14

The next day found Nines sitting alone at his desk typing out a report. He kept glancing at the clock to check the time to see when his shift would end. He tapped his finger against the desk impatiently as he checked the clock for the fifth time in half in hour. It's still only one PM. 

"You seem to be very impatient there, bub." He looked up and saw that Officer Chen was smirking down at him with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Good afternoon, Officer Chen." He tried to brush off the fact that he was tapping on his desk so hard that it was starting to form a hole on his desk. "Is there something you need?"

The officer shifted on her legs and leaned on the desk. "Well... I just wanna know how Gavin is, I know he recently lost someone close to him, I wanna how he's doing. He usually won't eat much when he's going through some deep shit."

"Detective Reed is doing well, and he's coping with the loss well. I'll also make sure that he's eating." Nines added a new objective to his list. _Detective Reed has an eating disorder?_

"Thanks, RK. Anyway, why were you staring at the clock so much? Never thought that you wanted to get off work that badly." She leaned forward and had a curious look in her eyes. 

"Detective Reed had entrusted me with the care of his house and cats, I just want to make sure that his cats are okay." Officer Chen chuckled fondly. 

"Yeah, Gavin sure loves his cats, he treats 'em like they're his kids, but they're the cutest things I've ever seen. I would steal them if I could." Nines let a little smile appear on his face. His cats really are cute. (Like the detective) 

"Welp, I'll leave you do it, Again, thanks for doing this for Gavin." She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and walked away. He was glad that Gavin had people that cared for him as much as he did. He went back to his work and ignored the constant staring of a certain android. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor was sure that RK900 wanted to gloat to him about how he got to look after Gavin's house and cats. The older model wanted to grabbed a couple of coins and shove it down Nines' (was it the nickname that Gavin gave him?) throat. He couldn't even do his work properly without glancing at the newer model with intense jealousy or thinking about Gavin. 

Was there something about him that the detective didn't like? His overall appearance, his voice, his personality? Did Gavin prefer the newer android because they shared similar humour and spent a lot of time with each other? Well, it was true that the two got closer after their recent case. Maybe he should spend more time with Gavin, but he always seem to push him away... 

"Hey, Connor, I know you're an android 'n all, but you're gonna get a hell lot of wrinkles if you keep frownin' like that." He looked to see a smirking Tina Chen. He offered her a smile smile. 

"Good morning Officer Chen, is there something I can assist you with?" He placed his hands on his lap as Officer Chen shook her head. 

"Nah, just wanna see why you look so down." She took a sip of her coffee and sat at the edge of his desk. "What's bothering you so much that it's gonna permanently crease your face?" 

He twiddled his fingers. Should he tell the woman? She was a rather close friend of Gavin, so maybe he could talk to her. 

"Um, Officer Chen, do you think that Ga- Detective Reed doesn't enjoy my company?" Connor felt himself getting more and more nervous. Should he have asked that? Was it a bad idea? 

"Well, Gavin doesn't not enjoy your company, he just doesn't know how to express himself, so he acts all nonchalant and tough. He's actually a real softie inside, but don't tell him that I told you this." She winked at him with a knowing smile. Connor felt a bit lighter and happier. So the detective did enjoy his company! 

"Thank you for telling me, Officer Chen." The woman chuckled and got up. 

"You're welcome Connor, good luck." She gave him a small wave and went to the break room. Connor felt a renewed sense of determination flare inside him as he added a new objective to his list. 

_Get to know Detective Reed better (and possibly earn his affections._

He glanced at RK900 again before ducking his head with a smug smile. He was going to be as charming as the newer model, if not more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tina is the all-knowing one that's eating popcorn while this love triangle happens around her. Also, Connor's gonna be the most charming boi ever :3 Sorry I wasn't able to update sooner, I was away at choir camp. Anyway, that's it for this chapter, don't forget to comment I love reading them, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	15. Chapter 15

Gavin sighed and put his head in his hands as he sat down on his old bed in his old house. Since he went back to his home -his real home- in Cincinnati. He fell back on the soft bed and breathed in the familiar scent in his old room, filled with posters and weird junk that he collected in his younger years. There were yellowing pictures of him and his childhood friends placed on the shelves.

He ran a hand through his already messy hair and listened to the quiet ticking of the clock. His suitcase was left opened on a corner of the room with his clothes half strewn out. He had just gotten back two hours ago and his mom said that the rest of the family was coming over for dinner. He'll get to see his cousins, aunts, uncles, and maybe a couple of nieces and nephews. He rolled over to his side and let his eyes wander around his bedroom as a lot of things went through his head.

_How were his cat?_

_Is Nines doing okay?_

_What kind of cases were he missing out on?_

There was a knock on the door and he sat up to see his mom by the door with a small smile. "Can I sit with you honey?" Gavin gave her a nod and felt the bed dip when his mother sat down next to him with a small sigh. He felt her hand card through his hair. It's been quite a while since his mom did that, it felt nice. 

There was a small silence that settled between them before his mom finally spoke. "I know it's very hard for you since you two were so close." Gavin shifted closer to his mom until his head was on her lap. 

"I wish I could've spent more time with her." He mumbled as he felt tears starting to build up. 

HIs leaned down kissed his temple. "We all wished that, too, honey." She wiped a stray tear that escaped his eyes. Silence resumed for a while until his mom patted his shoulder so that she could get up. 

"I'm gonna go down and finish dinner. Your dad will be home soon with your brother and sister and their families. You know, Angela really wants to see you." The corners of Gavin's mouth quirked up to form a smile when he thought of his little niece. 

"Yeah, I really miss her, too." His mom offered him a smile in return and kissed him on the cheek before heading down stairs. Gavin listened to her footsteps slowly soften until he could only hear the clock in his room ticking. He let out a heavy sigh before he lifted himself up and shuffled to his suitcase to grab some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time he came out of the bathroom, there was a mouth-watering aroma wafting around the house and the sound of laughter and chatter in the living room. He inhaled deeply and heard his stomach grumble. His mom's cooking was always the best.

He quickly went down the stairs and made his way to the living room, purposely making his footsteps louder. All the attention in the room shifted to him and there were a few delighted squeals. 

"Uncle Gavvy!" A little brunette girl and a pair of twins sprinted towards the detective, erupting laughter from the man. He gave each of them kisses, eliciting more squeals from the children. 

"Gavin! It's been so long!" He looked up and was greeted by two pairs of matching twinkling grey eyes. He let go of his nieces and nephew and his siblings filled his arms. There was a pleasant buzzing warmth spreading warmth in his body as he and his siblings tightened their grips on each other. 

"Hey kiddos, don't about dear ol' dad!" The siblings looked up and gave playful groans and eye rolls as their dad came up to them and wrapped them in his big arms. The four laughed and squeezed each other before Gavin's mother came into the room with a smile and told them that dinner was ready. 

During dinner, Gavin relished in the familiar taste of his mother's cooking and the warmth that his family provided. There were laughter and jokes surrounding the room as the family enjoyed each other's company. And as Gavin laid down to sleep that night, content and happy, he forgot about all his troubles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick little chapter wholesome Gavin fluff to distract you from the sad stuff that's been happening in this story :') I'm sorry for not updating as often as possible, with school and all, but I'll try to update this story as much as possible :) In the meantime, check out my other Jeverus story! Well, that's it for now, don't forget to comment, I love reading them, and I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	16. Chapter 16

As soon as the clock showed that it was 6 p.m., Nines immediately shut off his computer and stood up. He quickly ran over the list of things Gavin asked him to do while he was away.

_Buy the brand of cat food Oreo and Brownie like at the pet store across Gavin's apartment._

_Feed the cats and fill their water bowls before he leaves._

_Throw away any leftovers in the fridge._

_Housesit and check up on the cats._

The android left the police station and bid goodnight to Officer Cheng, who flashed him a small smile before returning to her work. RK900 opened the door and felt cool February air blow against his synthetic skin. Checking the bus schedule and seeing that the next bus would be arriving in three minutes, he walked briskly towards the bus stop. The snow crunched beneath his feet as he walked to the stop, heels clacking on the pavement. He stopped underneath the hooded station and waited for the bus to arrive. 

There were a few others at the stop too, a mother with her son and daughter, a man in a tidy business suit who was typing on his cell phone, an old couple, and a few androids chatting with each other, all not in the clothes issued by CyberLife. No one really paid the androids any mind, only absorbed in what they were doing themselves. There was a small swell of pride in Nines' chest as he observed them. Android equality has really come a long way, and now everyone was treated as equals. 

The bus arrived, and everyone boarded the vehicle in a neat line. Everyone was seated, and no one had to stand behind a glass panel for separation. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bus finally stopped at the station close to where Gavin lived, and Nines got off to be greeted by the smell of cigarette smoke and baked goods. Looking around, he quickly located where the pet shop was and headed towards that direction. 

The pet shop was a medium sized, single-floor building that had a baby blue exterior and a sign that had a dog and cat with "Warm Paws Pet Shop" in the middle. He pushed the door and a bell on the top gave a small "ding" when it was opened. There were a few people milling about inside the store, checking products or inquiring something from store clerks. 

RK900 took a trolley and checked the signs above the aisles and found the one that had cat products. He immediately walked to the aisled and began to search for the brand Gavin's cats enjoy eating. It took a while when he finally found the brand on the bottom shelf. He grabbed a few cans and threw them into the trolley before making his way to the cashier to pay for the food. The exchange was quick and he instantly walked out the shop the moment he had the receipt. With the bag in his right hand, he crossed the street to Gavin's apartment building. 

He got into the lift and pressed the button for Gavin's floor. He waited as the lift slowly passed each floor, until it stopped and the doors opened. The android walked down the hall until he reached Gavin's apartment and fished the keys to the apartment and unlocked the door. 

The moment he closed the door and took off his shoes, the cats that resided in the apartment came out of the detective's bedroom and meowed at him. A smile crept up his face and he knelt down to scratch the cats' behind their ears and their fur. The cats purred happily and rubbed themselves against him. 

He stood up and strode over to the kitchen, the two cats following him and weaving in between the android's long legs. Nines set down the bag and opened the shelf to start stacking the cans of cat food he bought. He saved two cans, and opened them up, placing them on the ground and watched as the cats scarfed the food down. 

He scratched the cats behind their ears and looked around the room, doing a quick scan. The house was relatively clean, but it could use some cleaning up. He went on a hunt for a broom and a dust pan. After finding them, he immediately set off to clean the detective's home. He swept the floors and dusted the furniture. Then, he went on to clean the master bedroom and tidy up the bathroom. While cleaning, he noticed some framed pictures around the apartment. Mostly they were of Gavin with his friends and family.There was one where a young Gavin had just graduated from the police academy and was saluting with a smirk on his face. 

A strange feeling of fondness filled the android and a small smile graced his lips. He raised his fingers and placed them on the glass separating the picture. 

"Miao?" He looked down and saw Brownie staring up at him, the munchkin's fluffy little head tilted in a cute manner. Nines knelt down and scratched her head, earning him a purr of satisfaction and the cat rubbing against his synthetic hand. 

He checked the clock hung in the living room and noticed that it was already five minutes to nine. The android sighed and gave the small cat one last pat on the head, and a scratch behind the ear for Oreo. He did one more bacterial scan of the place and smiled at the 99.9% cleanliness. The android grabbed his coat and slipped on his shoes before waving with a small smile to the cats and leaving for his own home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor sat on the couch and tuned out the chatter of the reality show on the TV. Hank was starting to doze off next to him, his hand resting his hand on Sumo's head, who was laying his head on the man's lap. It was already fifteen minutes past eleven, but Connor didn't really want to shut down for the night, not when thoughts about Gavin were filling his head. 

The detective has been really down since his last mission. What really happened that caused the detective to leave early? Connor tapped his fingers on his knee, kind of itching for his favourite coin. He glanced over at Hank and Sumo, people that he now regarded as his family and smiled fondly. He was really lucky to have such loving people in his life, that they love and care about him as much as he did. Did Gavin have people in his life that care about him a lot, too? Come to think about it, Gavin never really brought up the subject of his family during work, but judging with how emotional he was upon hearing his aunt's death, he most have been really close to her. 

A small part of Connor hoped that one day, he would be able to show the detective how much he cared about and loved him, and that his feelings would be reciprocated. His smile dropped when the thought of RK900 came into mind, and how close the two have been since working on the same case together. Clearly, his successor gaining an upper hand in this unspoken competition for Gavin's affections, but he himself also had an advantage: he knew the detective longer than RK900, which meant that he was more familiar with Gavin's mannerisms and his preferences. 

Connor sighed deeply and stretched his arms over his head as he checked the time again. _23:29._ It was pretty late, and he was sure that Hank wouldn't want to sleep on the couch at an odd angle. He turned off the TV, shook Hank awake, and bid the man goodnight before retiring to his own room and getting in bed. 

He let himself relax and shut off and recharged for the night. As his eyes close, he made a promise to himself that he would get closer to the detective before RK900 could. He couldn't bear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannndd, there's finally a chapter after I've been gone for two months! I'm sorry I haven't been updating any of my stories lately, there are so much stuff going on at school and I've been running on five hours of sleep each day, but since it's almost winter break, it means (hopefully) more updates! Maybe a new chapter from my HP story ;) Thank you guys for all the kudos and nice comments you've given me while I was gone. it really means a lot :) That's it for now, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


	17. Chapter 17

The next few days went by in a blur for Gavin. The detective managed to see all of his family members again, and before he knew it, it was the day of the funeral. Gavin was dressed in the suit he had brought along with him. He looked at himself in the full length mirror in his room, smoothing out any wrinkles and creases on his shirt. There was a knock on the door.

"Gavin, honey?" He turned around and saw his mother standing by the door. She was wearing a black dress with sash around her waist. Her hair was pinned into a bun and she had a small black hat that had a net that fell in her eyes. "Are you ready to go?"

Gavin nodded and breathed in shakily. "Yeah, yeah I am." He made sure that he had everything he need and followed his mom downstairs and into the family van, where his dad and brother's family were waiting. He slid into the seat next to his brother's wife, who was trying to calm the kids down. She flashed him a look that said "Please help me control them I accidentally gave them too much chocolate milk." He chuckled and turned to look at the kids sitting in the back. 

"Hey kids, if you're good, I'll take you guys to get frozen yoghurt after all of this is over." At that, the twins immediately quieted down and settled down.

"Really, uncle Gavvy?" One of the twins - Chloe - asked, her grey eyes widening excitedly. 

"Only if you two are good," Her mother warned. Gavin nodded in agreement. 

"Okay! We promise to be good!" The other twin - Michael - promised. The detective chuckled and reached a hand out to ruffle his nephew's hair. 

"That's good to know, champ." The van then started up and the family lapsed in silence, the only noise being the twins at the back playing. Before Gavin knew it, they had arrived at the cemetery. They walked farther into it, until they reached his aunt's burial spot, where the rest of his family were waiting. His sister was talking with her husband and holding her kid, who was yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, Jane," he called out as soon as he got out of the car. Jane turned around and smiled as she approached him. Her daughter brightened up when she saw the twins, and squirmed around so that she could play with them. 

"Hey, Gavin," She smiled and fist bumped him. His brother walked up to them and ruffled his sister's hair. "Oi, Liam, stop that!"

"Can't help it sis, it's just that you're the perfect height to do this," Liam snickered, continuing to ruffle her hair. 

"After all these years, you still act like kids," His mom said fondly as she stood next to Gavin. The detective nodded and watched as his siblings continued to playfully argue. It reminded him of the times they would fight and argue with each other. The disagreements never lasted though, since they always apologised to one another the next day. Siblings could never stay mad at each other. 

"Yup, it's like none of you grew up," His dad wrapped an arm around his wife shoulders and chuckled. 

"Alright, I think it's time to start," One person called out. Everyone took their seats and watched as a pastor walked up to stand at the front, next to the coffin.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in support of Carla Simpson-Reed's family, for they had suffer a great loss," Around that, Gavin decided to tune the pastor out. He was just spouting some prayers, and frankly Gavin didn't care, he only wanted to talk to his aunt. He watched as his aunt's family and his dad walk to the front and say their speeches about how much they missed Aunt Carla. Gavin hastily wiped away any tears that ran down his cheeks. 

"Now, it is time to say our final goodbyes." Gavin immediately perked up at that, and walked to stand in a line that was waiting to touch the coffin. When was his turn, he touched the coffin gingerly. 

"Hey, Aunt Carla," His throat tightened and he forced himself to continue, "I wish I had came home more often, I miss you, love you." He leaned down and kissed the coffin before joining his siblings. His sister was using a tissue to dab away her runny mascara and his brother's hair looked like he had ran a hand through it a couple times. The detective quickly wrapped his arms around them and he choked out a sob. 

"Can't believe she's actually gone," His voice was raspy and he kept sniffling. 

"Yeah." His sister mumbled, burying her face in Gavin's jacket. Liam sighed and wiped away his own tears. 

"Well, let's get some refreshments," The three shuffled to the small table that had some snacks and refreshments for the family. Gavin grabbed a cup of water and downed it in one gulp. After pouring himself another cup, the detective looked around the area while sipping his water. The kids were playing and running around, and the adults were talking to each other and offering this aunt's family condolences. He finally saw his cousin talking with one of his other aunts and walked over to her. 

"Hey Ashley," He called out. His cousin looked over and smiled at him before saying goodbye to the aunt and meeting Gavin halfway. 

"Hi, Gav." She hugged him and Gavin returned it. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly, patting her on the shoulder. She wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged.

"Still trying to wrap my head around this." She muttered and looked over at their family. "Didn't expect it to be so soon, and we had planned to do a lot of stuff together." Gavin wrapped arm around her and hugged her to him. 

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ash." His cousin hugged him back and they stayed like that while she sniffled. They let go and Gavin rummaged through his pockets for some tissues and offered them to Ashley, who took the graciously and wiped her tears. 

"Thanks Gavin," she smiled, and her fiancé came up and offered her a cup of water. The detective nodded in acknowledgement and walked to where his mom and dad were talking to some relatives. The rest of day went by in a blur, with catching up with relatives and offering condolences before everyone went back to their respective homes. Gavin trudged back to his room and flopped on his soft bed, not bothering to take off his jacket or loosening his tie, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some family angst for our dear ol' Gavin because im a horrible person lmao. sorry for the long period where I didn't post because I've been trying to think of ways to move the plot forward without making it really bad and boring :) a good thing is that you'll see your favourite android bois in the next chapter ;)
> 
> anyway that's it for now, I really need sleep, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> xoxo rose


	18. Chapter 18

_Update complete._

Nines sighed as he finally finished updating the files on a small robbery case he just solved. It felt... strange without having the detective there with him. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but the android missed the detective's banter and comments. Cool grey eyes glanced over the monitor and rested on the empty seat across from him. 

How was the detective doing? With how upset he was when he heard about his aunt's death, it seemed that Gavin was really close to her. Nines had previously searched the Internet on how to show concern and help a grieving friend. He paused. Would he consider the detective as his friend? The things he felt for the man seemed... more than what the Internet described as "friendship", but more as a "crush". 

The android felt his cheeks start to grow warm. He harboured romantic feelings for the detective, and at first, that scared him. Androids weren't meant to fall in love with humans, Nines knew that very much, that is until the feelings for the detective grew more and more until his synthetic heart couldn't handle it anymore. 

The newer model eyed his predecessor in the break room chatting with the Lieutenant. Did he also feel the same way about the detective? If so, it meant that he would have a rival. The android wasn't necessarily afraid about that. He was more afraid of how they were both built to succeed their objectives. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gavin smiled as his mother kissed both his cheeks and hugged him tightly. He returned it and closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair. God, he was going to miss her. 

"Are you sure you have everything?" She asked, pulling back to look at his tired face. The detective smiled and nodded. 

"Yup, I'm sure." His mother was about to say something when Gavin felt something cling to his legs. He looked down and saw his nieces and nephew clutching his legs. 

"When will you come back and visit us, Uncle Gavvy?" His nephew looked up and pouted. His uncle chuckled and crouched down to ruffle the boy's hair. 

"Of course I will, champ, I'll be back during the holidays, so don't you worry." He reassured him. 

"You better come back Gav, or I'll personally go into your precinct and drag you out by your ear." The detective's sister joked, kneeling down to punch him in the shoulder. Gavin rubbed his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at her. 

"You wouldn't."

"He's right about that," Their brother called, coming out of the house with a glass of lemonade. "You have like zero guts." Jane huffed and slapped his leg when he walked by. 

"Oh hush you," She said, narrowing her eyes at him. Liam only smirked and offered the lemonade to his children, who took it happily. The taller man leaned down to ruffle his brother's hair. 

"Don't you go and cause more trouble than you already do, Gavin," Liam teased. The detective chuckled and pushed away his hand. 

"Can't promise anything," His mother sighed as she offered a glass of lemonade to Gavin's other niece, who immediately took a massive gulp out of it. 

"Don't go and be a bad role model to the kids," She scolded before lightly whacking her sons at the back of their heads. The men grunted as their sister laughed at them. Gavin stood up and stretched his arms over his head before checking his phone. 

"The bus to the border is going to arrive soon, I better go." Gavin said sadly, putting his phone back inside his pocket. Immediately, his siblings crushed him in a tight hug. The detective returned the hug with the same fierceness. After a few moments, they let go, and were immediately replaced by his mom and dad. 

"Remember to come back and visit us, Gavin." His dad patted him on the shoulder with a smile. His mother nodded in agreement. Gavin then gave his little nieces and nephew one last hug, and exchanged goodbyes with his siblings' spouses before grabbing his luggage. 

His family insisted on walking him to the bus stop and seeing him off, so they did just that and chatted until the bus finally arrived. The detective hauled his things onto the bus and sat at a window seat just as the bus closed its doors. He waved goodbye to his family as the drove off and until he couldn't see them anymore. Shifting in his seat until he was comfortable, Gavin fished out his phone and earplugs and listened to some music while looking outside the window. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking out of the elevator of his apartment, Gavin breathed in the familiar scent of the apartment building's air freshener as he walked down the hallway, steps falling in time with the rhythm of the song he was listening to. He sighed when he finally got to his apartment door. He stuck his hand into his pocket and felt around for his keys until he took them out. 

Just as he was about to stick the key into the lock, the door swung open and he was face to face with someone, more specifically his android partner. The two stared at each other in silence before Gavin slowly plucked one earplug from his ear. 

"Uh, hey there Nines," He held his hand up in greeting before letting it fall back to his side. The android blinked, slightly reminding the detective of his cats. 

"Good evening, Detective Reed, you're earlier than expected." Gavin shrugged and unplugged the other earplug. 

"Yeah, well, there weren't much people at customs and I managed to catch the buses at the right times so... yeah." He finished lamely. He mentally smacked himself in the head. He sounded like a complete idiot in front of the android, and now he's probably going to tease him or something-

"Meow?" The two looked down and saw Brownie between Nines' legs, looking up at Gavin before padding over to him and rubbing against his leg, purring and meowing. The brunet chuckled and crouched down to scratch the cat's fluffy head. 

"Hey there bud, I missed you too, did tin can here take care of you?" Nines raised his eyebrow, slightly amused as Oreo weaved between his legs and nuzzled his head to Gavin's knees.

"Of course I did. I came here punctually after work and fed them, then I spend some time with them before I leave." Nines retorted. The detective glanced up through his lashes and snorted. 

"I bet, lets go in, I'm beat." 

"I'm afraid I would have to decline your offer, Detective, as I need to head back to my own home." Gavin felt his good mood drop a bit. 

"Well, can't you stay for tea? I mean, I need to catch up on the cases I've missed, and it's still kinda early," he rambled, a faint blush setting on his cheeks. Gavin slapped himself mentally again. Seriously, he sounded so desperate. 

Nines' light whirred blue with hints of yellow before settling back to a calm blue. "Very well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." The detective was caught off guard and just stared at the android before standing up. 

"Uh cool, come on." Gavin brushed past his partner with his cats following closely. Nines stepped back inside and closed the door before removing his shoes. 

"So how was your trip, Detective?" He asked while Gavin dumped his duffle bag on the couch. The brunet shrugged as he went over to his kitchen island to make some tea. 

"It was cool, I got to see my family again, and say goodbye to my aunt." A large lump formed in his throat at the mention of his aunt. Nines walked over and got two cups from the cabinets. 

"I see, I'm glad that you were able to pay your respects to your aunt." Gavin nodded as he placed the kettle on the stove. He was glad the android didn't do the whole "I'm sorry for loss" thing, he really didn't need to hear that phrase or need anyone's pity at the moment. 

"Yeah, me too. Anyway, anything exciting happen while I was gone? I hope not." He grinned as he leaned back on the counter on his elbows. He saw the android's lips quirk up a bit. 

"Not really, just some minor cases on burglaries and the occasional dispute." Nines replied with a slightly teasing tone, "so there's no need to be worried about missing something exciting, Detective."

The kettle gave a shrill whistle, indicating that it had finished boiling. Gavin carefully took the kettle off the stove and poured the tea into both cups before offering one of them to his partner. "Androids can drink tea and hot stuff in general, right?"

Nines hummed as he grabbed the cup and blew it to cool it down. "Yes we can, but I would still prefer not to burn myself or my innards with how hot this tea is." He took a tentative sip of it as he looked at the detective. Gavin rolled his eyes playfully as he reached for his own cup. Fuck, it really was hot. 

He swore he heard Nines snicker as he blew on his fingers. "Oi, shut the fuck up." He muttered, carefully grabbing the cup and blowing on it. It was good, but it needed some milk. He set the cup down and went to his fridge and was surprised when he saw that it was restocked. "Wha-"

"I took the liberty to help you buy some groceries while you were gone," Nines commented, glancing over to him. Gavin grabbed a carton of milk and scratched the back of his neck. 

"Uh, thanks, wait lemme get my wallet, how much were the groceries?" 

The android waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need to pay me back, Detective Reed."

Gavin frowned. "Seriously Nines, let me pay you back, take it as payment for taking care of my cats and house."

"No, I insist Detective Reed, there really is no need. I didn't expect payment before, and I don't expect any one." There was firm look in his eyes as his light whirred blue and yellow. 

A pause settled between the two as they had a staring contest, before Gavin sighed and ran his hand down his face. "Fine, if you say so Nines." He poured the milk into his tea and grabbed a spoon to stir. "Anyway, I hope the cats weren't too much trouble."

"They weren't, they were good and didn't scratch anything." Nines commented. Gavin hummed and took a sip of his own tea. That was the good shit. The android glanced at the ticking clock on the living room wall and set down his mug. "It seems that it's getting quite late, and I don't want to keep you up any longer." 

On cue, Gavin stifled a yawn. "Uh, yeah, yeah you're right." He shuffled over to door, with his partner following closely behind him. Stopping at the door, he reached for the door knob before hesitating and turned around. "You-" The detective felt his breath catch in his throat at how close the two were. He could hear his erratic heartbeat in his ears as the android blinked slowly and stepped back a bit.

Gavin gulped. "Um, you-you sure that you don't need any help with the new cases?" Nines rolled his eyes in what seemed like an affectionate way. 

"No, Detective Reed. I can handle them on my own, and you need some rest." 

Gavin pursed his lips, and he _swore_ he saw the android's grey eyes flicker to them. "...If you say so then." Nines nodded and put on his shoes

**Author's Note:**

> Aaahhh, my first fic on this site! I really like these ships and I'm pretty excited to post a story with them. I also have a wattpad, where I have other stories. Feel free to check it out, the name's flame-rose :) 
> 
> That's it for now, I'll see you in the next chapter, ciao!
> 
> Xoxo Rose


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